LOCATION: Richmond, VA, U.S.A.

ORGANIZATION TYPE: Government

FOCUS AREA: Children / Families, Education, Environment / Land Use, Food security / Nutrition, Health Care Delivery, Housing / Neighborhoods, Immigration, Income & Wealth, Jobs & Work, Law, Media / Journalism, Public Health, Public Policy, Race / Ethnicity, Social Inclusion, Transportation

HEALTH EQUITY INITIATIVES: We are engaging communities by showing segments of the series at Town Hall Meetings, heritage month programs, grass roots organizational meetings, and any venue where we are able to gain access. We use the series to engage groups in discussion and problem resolution by introducing community-based participatory public health approaches and providing technical assistance. We publish a quarterly "Health Equity Matters" newsletter to a growing listserv. Our office is engaged in a pilot health impact assessment project which is following two legislative policies and assessing their impact on social determinants of health, health and health equity. We are using GIS and geospatial analysis to identify normally hidden areas of severe poverty and health inequities throughout Virginia at the block group level. In the works is a grant application that will fund a spring 2009 Health Equity Conference.