Centering Equity & Justice in Rebuilding the Nation’s Public Health Infrastructure

As we continue to work to slow the spread of COVID-19 through community mitigation strategies and vaccinations, we must also work towards a long-term equitable recovery by replacing old systems that produce inequities with new, equitable, just systems that will help us prepare for the next public health emergency. This means rebuilding the country’s underfunded and disjointed public health infrastructure. 

Drawing on COVID-19 lessons and experiences, Prevention Institute is partnering with the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) to assemble a ‘playbook’ of resources and strategies for rebuilding a public health system, centered in racial justice and health equity.  

Key activities and strategies that the playbook will explore include: 

• Policy and systems change priorities that center health equity and racial justice across a variety of sectors and topics, such as: economic stability, housing, mental health and well-being, food security, and community safety—all of which are high-priority needs to reduce and contain the spread of COVID-19. 

• A synthesis of priority public health systems improvements and recommendations to advance racial justice and health equity outcomes that are informed by COVID-19 experiences.