Health Departments: Temperature Check for Your Equity Journey

Meaningful internal efforts implemented by health departments to advance health equity require long-term, sustained commitment. Such focus is needed to transform and shift an organization’s culture, policies, practices, and systems. By explicitly naming the internal policies, practices, and systems that are advancing or impeding the intended goals of internal equity efforts, health departments can begin to make change, advance equity, and transform an organization’s culture.

When implementing new equity initiatives or expanding existing ones, it is important to periodically pause to consider the extent to which foundational organizational supports are in place. The Temperature Check for Your Equity Journey (Temp Check) supports staff as they explore, discuss, and better understand the current state of internal equity efforts.

Transforming your health department to be more equitable should feel like an aspirational yet attainable goal, achievable through meaningful and sustained equity efforts. The Temp Check is designed to bridge the gap between reality and aspiration. It can help your team examine the supports necessary to transform an organization’s culture and identify to what extent these supports are in place within your health department. After using the Temp Check, your team will be better informed of the strengths and gaps of your internal equity efforts. From there, you can begin to identify potential next steps.

Any size health department at any point on your internal equity journey, whether you are implementing a new initiative, expanding an existing initiative, or have been doing internal equity work for decades. The Temp Check can be used by small and large groups, ranging from a team of two staff with a narrow program focus to a division or bureau with a broader focus.

The Temp Check was created as a tool for activating the organizational transformation cycle towards equity (the cycle). This cycle was conceptualized by Health Resources in Action (HRiA) through numerous experiences supporting health departments across the United States in their internal equity journeys. The cycle is comprised of six critical domains that must be addressed to achieve organizational transformation and advance equity. The Temp Check is organized around these six domains.

The general process for using the Temp Check should look similar no matter your health department’s context. The general process is outlined below:

Build your foundation – state your “why”, define your scope, and form a team.

For each domain of the cycle, review the foundational elements and respond to each statement.

Use the discussion guide to examine and reflect on team responses and identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities in your internal equity efforts.