Module 2 > Equity > Strategies to promote equity in policy making
Some policies seek to improve community conditions through systems change, while others focus on program design and service provision. Both types of policies play a critical role in either advancing equity or perpetuating existing inequities at the organizational, local, state, and federal level.
CLASP has identified seven levers to support the development of policies that achieve equitable outcomes.
Race Forward and partners co-developed Principles for Racially Equitable Policy Platforms, which offers five points of guidance for integrating racial equity into policy platforms. The principles also can be helpful in considering policy implications for other marginalized identities.
Both resources highlight the importance of community-driven solutions, and of tracking and disaggregating data in order to allocate resources to populations most impacted.
Spotlight
In April of 2020, the state of Maryland acted quickly to enact legislation to expand access to telehealth on an emergency basis. This law makes permanent changes that other states have made temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic. By considering access (telehealth reduces transportation barriers) and use of funds (Medicaid reimbursement), this quick pivot helped to permanently improve access to behavioral health services for communities at high risk for suicide during the pandemic and beyond.
Reflection Questions
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How is your community using one or more of the strategies articulated by CLASP or Race Forward to promote equity in the policy response to infrastructure disruptions?
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What is a new strategy that your community could apply to planning moving forward?
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What barriers need to be addressed to implement a quick policy pivot?