We are seeing dramatic inequities in COVID-19 impacts, with people of color being severely and disproportionately affected. The virus starkly laid bare racial inequities facing this nation which are deeply rooted in structural racism and historic disinvestment. The tragic and unjust deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery catalyzed a broader awareness and awakening of what many of us in the public health field already knew: racism is a public health crisis. How can these confluent, historic events advance equity during the COVID-19 response and beyond? Review this presentation by Tracy Delaney, founding director of the Public Health Alliance of Southern California, to explore real-time learnings and opportunities for Public Health practice to advance equity in this unprecedented moment.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key data indicators to support an equitable COVID-19 response and recovery.
• Describe public health practices that positioned local health departments to successfully engage with communities most impacted by disproportionate COVID-19 outcomes.
• Identify at least 3 strategies to elevate and begin to address racism as a public health crisis

Target Audience: Public Health Professionals 

Duration: 26 minutes

Continuing Education Information: 0.5 CECH for CHES 

Format: Web-based training, Self Study

Originally Recorded: 08/2020

Presenter: Tracy Delaney, PhD

Tracy Delaney is the founding director of the Public Health Alliance of Southern California (Alliance) -a regional coalition of eight local health departments whose members have statutory responsibility for the health of 50% of California’s population. Her work advances equity and population health through multi-sector initiatives addressing policy, systems, and environmental change. She has spearheaded multidisciplinary projects integrating land use and transportation, food systems, climate and water resources, and public health and hospital systems. Under Dr. Delaney’s direction, the Alliance has developed the California Healthy Places Index, a positively framed community condition tool that is associated with life expectancy at birth at granular geographies. During her previous tenure at the County of San Diego, she was Principal Investigator for Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant, the nation’s largest federal obesity prevention award, and the CDC’s Community Transformation Grant. She holds a doctorate in Nutrition from the University of California, Davis. Dr. Delaney was honored with the Leadership Award by the Southern California Public Health Association.