In this episode of JPHMP Direct Talk, authors Cynthia A. Gómez and Carter Blakey discuss their article, “Addressing Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health Through Healthy People 2030,” published ahead of print in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

The evolution of Healthy People reflects growing awareness of health inequities over the life course. Each decade, the initiative has gained understanding of how the nation can achieve health and well-being. To inform Healthy People 2030’s visionary goal of achieving health equity in the coming decade, the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2030 provided the US Department of Health and Human Services with guidance on key terms, frameworks, and measurement for health equity. Conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age influence health and well-being outcomes, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks and are mostly responsible for health inequities. No single individual, organization, community, or sector has sole ownership, accountability, or capacity to sustain the health and well-being of an entire population. The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States highlights underlying inequities and disparities in health and health care across segments of the population. Contributing factors that were known prior to the pandemic have led to major discrepancies in rates of infection and death. To reduce health disparities and advance health equity, systems approaches—designed to shift interconnected aspects of public health problems—are needed.

Listen to the full conversation here:

Learn More:

• Addressing Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health Through Healthy People 2030
• Updating Health Literacy for Healthy People 2030: Defining Its Importance for a New Decade in Public Health
• Healthy People for the 21st Century: Understanding Use of Healthy People 2020 as a Web-Based Initiative
• Healthy People 2030: A Compass in the Storm
• Promoting Health and Well-being in Healthy People 2030
• Healthy People 2030: A Call to Action to Lead America to Healthier Lives

You May Also Enjoy:

• Infographic: Promoting Health and Well-being in Healthy People 2030
• JPHMP Direct Talk Podcast: Health and Well-being in Healthy People 2030 with Nico Pronk and Dushanka Kleinman

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Cynthia A. Gómez, PhD, has demonstrated leadership and contribution to US and international health policy, and 30 years of experience as a behavioral health scientist. She has been a pioneer in the integration of social determinants of health in research and in the development of community-based health interventions. Dr. Gómez has proven success in building strong and diverse health-focused organizations, including a community mental health center, a global HIV research center, and a broad-based health equity institute. She is dedicated to the success of mission-driven organizations, and has continuously served on non-profit organizations’ governing boards for the past 25 years where she has served in leadership roles, bringing expertise in organizational management, cultural humility, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), and board governance. Currently, she serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Adira Foundation and for ETR, Inc.; serves on the board of the San Francisco Community Health Center and the Guttmacher Institute; and recently served on the federal advisory committee of the Department of Health & Human Services’ Secretary’s Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2030 (aka Healthy People 2030).

Carter Blakey is the Deputy Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Director of ODPHP’s Community Strategies Division. As the Community Strategies Division Director, she oversees ODPHP’s work in a number of areas, including the Healthy People initiative, social determinants of health and Healthy Aging activities.