Good health enables individuals and families to engage in their social and economic lives. It allows them to contribute and benefit from the economy; although, the ability to achieve this level of health is not equal for all. Differences in health outcomes exist across many factors, including economic status, education, race and ethnicity, and geography. Working towards health equity means that every person has the opportunity to attain their full health potential, and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of their position in society or other socially-determined circumstances.
As COVID-19 spread throughout the country, its impact rippled through all facets of communities and the economy. As a result, the interdependency between health and the overall economy was made even more evident than it previously was. The pandemic reminds us of the importance of health as we work towards economic equity.
In this session, speakers will focus on the impact of COVID-19, historical and structural barriers to health equity, the relationship between health and economic equity, and practices to encourage equitable health.
Speakers:
- Bobby Milstein, director of system strategy, ReThink Health
- Jason Purnell, vice president of community health improvement, BJC Healthcare
- Ruth Thomas-Squance, senior director of field building, Build Healthy Places Network
- Nishesh Chalise, director of community-based policy and analysis, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
- Matuschka Lindo Briggs, director of special projects and strategic support, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (moderator)
The Connecting Communities© webinar series is a Federal Reserve System initiative intended to provide a national audience with timely information on emerging and important community and economic development topics. The webinar series complements existing Federal Reserve community development outreach initiatives that are conducted through Reserve Bank regional offices and at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. All past sessions are in the Connecting Communities archive. For more information about this series, send us an e-mail at communities@stls.frb.org. Click here to unsubscribe from future Connecting Communities Communications.