About the Health Equity Networks

What are health equity networks? 

The Minnesota Health Equity Networks work to connect, strengthen, and amplify health equity efforts and community issues using a regional and relational approach. The networks are a community of support for local public health, Tribal public health, and community organizations to address long-standing health equity issues.

• Connect: The networks are a hub — connecting and strengthening relationships and connections of local public health, Tribal public health, community organizations, and health equity partners across Minnesota communities.
• Strengthen: We strengthen communities' capacity to work on health equity through training, technical assistance, and leadership development in advancing health equity across Minnesota communities.
• Amplify: We amplify the interconnected work of communities and public health systems. We support the regional and Tribal public health systems to prioritize community solutions and engage with communities as a part of public health practice.

Network coordinators will work alongside partners to build relationships, support existing work and activities that build capacity, provide a space to share expertise and provide resources, and influence policy, structural, and system changes to provide the best health and wellness outcomes for all.

Why are the networks vital to Minnesotans? While local, state, and Tribal public health departments and community-based organizations worked to reach all Minnesota communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, deep disparities in health were revealed across Minnesota. The pandemic disproportionately impacted communities of color, American Indian communities and Tribal nations, the LGBTQ community, rural communities, immigrant and refugee communities, aging people, low-income people, and people with disabilities. As response activities continue and recovery activities ramp up, our public health partnerships will need to build on our successes and address the clear inequities that have long existed in all our communities.

How can I stay in touch? If you want to receive updates about current and future network activities, subscribe and sign up for the Health Equity Networks newsletter.

What is health equity? 

Health equity is the concept that everyone has what they need to be healthy and that no unjust or unfair barriers prevent anyone from being healthy.

Achieving health equity is important for all people and requires a systemic approach to making sure people and communities have access to what they need to be healthy. People and communities are often prevented from being as healthy as possible by unjust or unfair barriers, and these are called health inequities.

We can only achieve health equity when, for example, all children get a loving and healthy start, when we can all get a good education and good jobs, when we can all take part in the decisions that shape our communities, and when we all have good living conditions. These are examples of changing social determinants of health.

Addressing health equity and the social determinants of health is needed in order to have continuous improvements in health outcomes and eliminate health disparities. This involves examining structures, policies, practices, norms, and values, as well as creating social and physical environments that promote good health for all people and communities.

Every region, community, and Tribal nation experiences different inequities and requires different solutions.

Funding for this project is provided by the CDC OT21-2103 COVID-19 Health Equity Grant.