The 2019 All-America City Awards and conference included a one-day conference featuring workshops on health equity. Conference workshops focused on the League’s concept of healthy communities, which included the following sessions.
Youth Empowerment—Harnessing the Power of Youth Voice
Maggie Ladd, Partnership Director, Mikva Challenge; Vanessa Roberts, Executive Director, Project VOYCE; Caleb Washington, Lead Youth Facilitator, Project VOYCE; La’Renz Smith, Youth Facilitator, Project VOYCE
Participants heard from both the Mikva Challenge and Project VOYCE about how they empower and engage youth as partners to improve communities and build youth leadership. Youth facilitators spoke about their participation in the program.
Download Mikva’s workshop slides.
Download Project VOYCE’s workshop slides.
Stakeholder Engagement in Health
J. Ronald DeVries, Healthcare Enrollment Program Manager at the GLBT Community Center of Colorado
Attendees heard about the progress being made in bringing equity to healthcare delivery for the LGBTQ community, needs for further improvement and how stakeholder engagement can help get us there.
Community Health: Using a Lens of Age
Stacey Kurz, Senior Project Coordinator/Healthy Chula Vista Initiative; Bob Prath, Chair, AARP CA Livable Communities Advisory Team; Anne Steinberger, Marketing and Communications Manager, City of Chula Vista
This workshop delved into AARP’s Age-Friendly (Livable) Communities Network and the City of Chula Vista’s Age-Friendly Action Plan. The workshop provided examples of civic engagement techniques in reaching this vulnerable adult population to address chronic and emerging health issues.
Download workshop slides. Coming Soon!
Engaging Schools and Communities in Local Actions to Promote Health Equity for Latino and All Kids
Rosalie P. Aguilar, National Project Coordinator, Salud America!, UT Health San Antonio
This workshop communicated strategies for implementing change by using a grassroots, media advocacy approach, fueled by content and action packs developed by Salud America! to equip parents, teachers, community leaders, and researchers with tools to promote health equity at the local level for Latino and all kids.
Community Partnerships to Promote Health Equity
Community partners from Commerce City, Denver and Colorado Springs; Christopher Smith, Senior Program Officer, Colorado Health Foundation (facilitator)
In this session, community partners shared how they advance health equity with projects focused on improving and activating the built environment. Too often community members are left out of the discussion around health-promoting activities in their own communities. Participants heard how communities themselves have fully participated in the planning and development of local resources, like parks, trails or even sidewalks, so that all people can enjoy them.
Advancing Intergenerational Well-Being
Tyler Norris, MDiv, Chief Executive Well Being Trust; Monte Roulier, President of Community Initiatives, Convener of CommunityCommons.Org
As “deaths of despair” – those from alcohol and substance misuse and suicide—continue to rise, the nation must radically rethink its approach to mental, emotional and social well-being. This workshop had participants join a network of leading change makers to shape and access resources (e.g. engagement and case making tools, metrics and local strategies) that can help communities improve well-being and human flourishing.
Racial Equity in Health & Other Services
Dante James, Co-Founder and Principal, The Gemini Group, LLC & Senior Fellow, National Civic League; Matt Guy, Lead Community Connector, Accelerated Transformation Associates
Participants learned how to understand why addressing equity is a governmental imperative; distinguish between institutional, inter-personal, and systemic racism; understand the science behind implicit bias, and be able to recognize and have tools to overcome it; be able to implement tools to mitigate institutional racism in health care; and utilize the important questions to begin to implement an “equity lens.”
Preparing for 2020: Census Solutions Workshop
Haley Ashcom, Intergovernmental Affairs Partnership Manager, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Census Bureau
The Census Solutions Workshop had attendees work together in a highly collaborative setting to address real problems/challenges. Attendees left with actual action items to solve these challenges facing the 2020 Census. Challenges may include government distrust, the digital divide, hiring locals to enumerate, etc.
Caring for Colorado’s Veterans through Free Oral Health Services
Heidi Tyrrell – Heroes Clinic Manager, Clinical Instructor, CU Heroes Clinic;
Dr. Tamara Tobey – Associate Professor C/T, ACTS Program Director, CU Heroes Clinic;
Cherith Flowerday – Program Officer, Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation
Participants heard from the University of Colorado Heroes Clinic and Delta Dental of
Colorado regarding their partnership to create the innovative clinic providing free dental
services to Colorado’s veteran population. Participants also learned about the services
provided by senior dental students under the supervision of highly-qualified faculty and
staff, many of whom are veterans themselves.
