What to know
Each center developed goals to catalyze the agency's CORE commitment to health equity and identify the most impactful, transformational work that would produce sustained advancement of health equity. These goals are aligned with the C-O-R-E pillars and seven overarching health equity themes called CORE Aims. This sections below are illustrative examples of CORE goals related to each pillar and aim area.
Cultivate comprehensive health equity science
CORE Aim: Transform surveillance systems to include drivers of health disparities and inequities in addition to markers (race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, ability, sexual orientation).
Examples:
- Provide data on SDOH and racial/ethnic health disparities via the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s collection, analysis, and reporting of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from at least 25 states to be used by public health professionals, researchers, and CDC programs for public health action and impact, by September 2023.
- Address data gaps and harmonize data systems across the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease to ensure 100% of surveillance systems include a standard set of relevant health equity data elements aligned with agency standards or have a plan to do so, by December 2024.
Optimize interventions
CORE Aim: Build and deploy program interventions regarding evaluation, funding criteria, and public engagement and approaches for scaling systems interventions.
Examples:
- Implement indigenous evaluation approaches for 100% of the Division of Injury Prevention-funded programs within the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control serving American Indian and Alaska Native populations to advance injury and violence prevention efforts and programs, by 2026.
- Identify and reach underserved populations with immunity gaps in all countries deemed priority by the Global Immunization Division within CGH through vaccination services to achieve measurable reductions in mortality and morbidity from targeted vaccine-preventable diseases, by December 31, 2026.
Reinforce and expand robust partnerships
CORE Aim: Identify and implement key multi-sector policy levers to advance health equity.
Examples:
- Reduce racial/ethnic disparities for Ending the HIV Epidemic key indicators including knowledge of HIV status, living with HIV while virally suppressed, and PrEP coverage for individuals recommended for PrEP among programs supported by the Division of HIV Prevention, by December 2025.
Enhance capacity and workforce diversity, inclusion, and engagement
CORE Aim: Bolster efforts to ensure health equity is an inextricable part of workforce management and operations in public health.
Examples:
- Develop collaborations between the Office of Women’s Health and at least four internal and five external partners to develop and implement strategies and policies that address gendered racism and gender discrimination in the workplace, by December 2025.
- Increase the number of Disease Intervention Specialists hired nationally by 25% via NCHHSTP to better respond to COVID-19 and address prevention and control of infectious diseases, including STIs, among populations disproportionately affected by them to improve diversity, equity and inclusion among the disease intervention workforce, by March 31, 2026.