Health Equity

Giving everyone the opportunity to achieve their healthiest self

Health Equity means that everyone has the opportunity to achieve their healthiest self. When communities work towards health equity, they identify and eliminate social and systemic health barriers, including those related to poverty, low education, inadequate housing, a lack of safety and security, discrimination, and limited access to health care services.

Health starts in our homes, schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities.
– U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Health Disparities vs. Inequities

Health Disparities are higher rates of disease, illness, injury, or disability experienced by particular groups compared to others. Some health disparities are Health Inequities and may be the result of preventable circumstances such as:

Limited access to health care and health insurance
Lack of transportation to address life needs
Economic instability
Housing insecurity
Unsafe neighborhoods and traumatic life experiences
Unhealthy environments
Low education, including low literacy and low health literacy

Cultural Humility

Cultural humility is an ongoing, life-long process of self-reflection, self-criticism, and willingness to learn from others. To ensure person/patient-centered care and ensure that cultural humility is incorporated throughout patient/client interactions, SMCHD strives to:

Prioritize and continuously learn about the unique needs of each community member to deliver optimal services
Actively understand the influence of the social determinants of health on community members’ health and wellness

SMCHD strives to uphold cultural humility by utilizing Community Health Workers (CHW). The use of CHWs to support community health needs is an evidence-based practice that assists in health education, outreach, enrollment, and information-sharing efforts. In St. Mary’s County, CHWs are crucial in increasing access to healthcare, connecting and enrolling community members to available services, and providing health education.

SMCHD follows the Maryland Department of Health’s CHW Core Competencies to ensure effective service delivery of community members’ needs, which are as follows:

Advocacy and community capacity-building skills
Effective oral and written communication skills
Cultural competency
Understanding of ethics and confidentiality issues
Knowledge of local resources and system navigation
Care coordination support skills
Teaching skills to promote healthy behavior change
Outreach methods and strategies
Understanding of public health concepts and health literacy

Local Action

On June 29, 2020, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, St. Mary’s County Public Schools, and the St. Mary’s County Health Department signed a Joint Resolution to Advance Equity locally in public safety, education, and health. The partners established a St. Mary’s County Equity Task Force to recognize the need to collaborate across sectors to better address equity overall.

Promoting Health Equity

The St. Mary’s County Health Department is dedicated to promoting health equity by:

Identifying health disparities through data analysis
Collaborating with local community partners and leaders to address health disparities and contributing to social and systemic factors
Developing and carrying out solutions that are respectful of community differences, and provide safe spaces for everyone
Engaging in community outreach and providing community members with the resources and health information needed to advance their health

Health Equity Webinars

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) hosted a three-part webinar series to explore the topics of health equity, health disparities, and community action to eliminate social and systemic barriers to equity.