Equity Initiative Implementation

Focus Areas, Goals, and Objectives

Focus Areas

1. Ensuring a workplace culture that is inclusive, collaborative, and anti-racist, and one that encourages all staff to engage in dialogue about racism and other systems of oppression.
2. Establishing workplace policies and procedures that further increase diversity, ensure fair and equitable opportunities for advancement, and eliminate discrimination.
3. Refining our systems and processes for designing, funding, and evaluating research, policy, programs, and partnerships to ensure they are intentionally, systematically, and consistently focused on addressing the social and structural causes of health disparities.

Focus Area 1: Workplace Culture

Goal 1.1 - Ensure an inclusive, collaborative, and anti-racist workplace culture.

• Objective 1.1.1 — Increase and promote NCHHSTP staff awareness of and appreciation for cultural differences and diversity.
• Objective 1.1.2 — Increase activities to foster NCHHSTP staff understanding of the ways in which cultural norms influence organizational practices and interpersonal interactions in the workplace, including through conscious/unconscious biases.

Goal 1.2 - Normalize discussions in the workplace about racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identities, as well as racism and other systems of oppression.

• Objective 1.2.1 — Increase knowledge among NCHHSTP staff about racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identities, as well as racism and other systems of oppression to build a strong foundation for healthy discussions of these topics with colleagues and external partners.
• Objective 1.2.2 — NCHHSTP will launch at least two new activities to encourage and support all staff to engage in open and constructive dialog in the workplace around identity, race, and racism.

Focus Area 2: Workplace Policies and Procedures

Goal 2.1 - Ensure fairness and equity in recruitment, hiring, career advancement, and other human resource policies and practices.

• Objective 2.1.1 — Complete a comprehensive analysis using NCHHSTP data to identify where disparities may exist in recruitment, hiring, career advancement, recognition, and performance management.
• Objective 2.1.2 — Increase recruitment and outreach to underrepresented populations in all series and grade levels where significant disparities exist.
• Objective 2.1.3 — Increase the number of NCHHSTP hiring officials utilizing techniques to reduce potential bias or discrimination in the screening and interviewing process.
• Objective 2.1.4 — Increase the number of positions that are structured with training and potential for career advancement built into the position.

Goal 2.2 - Eliminate discriminatory or prejudicial behaviors and practices in the workplace.

• Objective 2.2.1 — Complete assessment of discriminatory or prejudicial behaviors and practices, and other behaviors that affect inclusion, collaboration, and trust in the workplace.
• Objective 2.2.2 — Develop or modify policies and procedures to deter discriminatory or prejudicial behaviors and practices identified in our workplace.

Goal 2.3 - Promote and coordinate equity activities throughout NCHHSTP.

• Objective 2.3.1 — NCHHSTP will establish the NCHHSTP Equity Coordinating Group composed of diverse (e.g., by series, grade level, and demographic characteristics) representatives from the OD and Divisions to provide consultation, support, and coordination for cross-cutting equity activities.
• Objective 2.3.2 — Each NCHHSTP Division and the OD will establish an Equity Change Team to plan and coordinate equity goals and activities within that organizational unit, informed by the NCHHSTP Equity Initiative goals.
• Objective 2.3.3 — The NCHHSTP Equity Initiative Planning Team will create an NCHHSTP Equity Initiative Toolkit to support Equity Change Teams and managers to plan and implement equity activities.
• Objective 2.3.4 — All Equity Change Teams will develop written Equity Change Plans with input from staff at all levels of their organizational unit.
• Objective 2.3.5 — The NCHHSTP Equity Coordinating Group will identify gaps and potential synergies across each Equity Change Plan.
• Objective 2.3.6 — Develop communication products and dissemination plans to promote awareness of NCHHSTP's equity and anti-racism work.
• Objective 2.3.7 — NCHHSTP's new strategic plan will incorporate equity goals and indicators informed by the NCHHSTP Equity Coordinating Group and Equity Change Teams.
• Objective 2.3.8 — Increase capacity within NCHHSTP to facilitate effective trainings and other skill-building activities regarding health equity and racial equity.

Focus Area 3: Research, Policy, Programs, and Partnerships

Goal 3.1 - Collaborate with partners to implement programs and policies that address the social and structural factors contributing to race-based and other disparities in NCHHSTP's priority diseases and populations.

• Objective 3.1.1 — Develop and disseminate guidance on evidence-based interventions, policies, and best practices to reduce race-based and other disparities.
• Objective 3.1.2 — Integrate evidence-based interventions and best practices to reduce race-based and other disparities into NCHHSTP-funded programs implemented by partners.
• Objective 3.1.3 — Advance efforts to implement policy interventions that can reduce race-based and other disparities.

Goal 3.2 - Enhance NCHHSTP's strategic focus to advance health equity through research and programs.

• Objective 3.2.1 — Establish a research and evaluation agenda to fill knowledge gaps regarding effective interventions to address social and structural factors that contribute to disparities in NCHHSTP's priority diseases and populations.
• Objective 3.2.2 — Develop and monitor indicators of health disparities among NCHHSTP's priority diseases and populations.
• Objective 3.2.3 — Develop and begin implementing a monitoring and evaluation plan for the NCHHSTP Equity Initiative.