Health equity policy platform for COVID-19 response and recovery
This resource is available in English only.
This policy platform, designed by Human Impact Partners (HIP), highlights policy ideas that were generated by grassroot organizations, with the aim of establishing public health interventions led by communities most impacted by these inequities (e.g., Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities). Although written in the U.S. context, this document can inform policy interventions related to COVID-19 response and recovery in Canada.
Policy Platform
The HIP policy platform details policy recommendations in four distinct areas:
- Economic security
Policies that focus on population health and health equity, rather than economic impact, response and recovery plans
- Housing security
Policies to ensure housing for all, protect homeowners and renters, and prevent accumulation of debt during COVID-19
- Criminal legal system
Policies to release currently imprisoned people, protect those who are incarcerated and limit new incarcerations
- Healthcare Access
Policies to ensure all people have access to care, testing, treatment and personal protective equipment (PPE)
At the end of each section, the document provides specific guidance about how public health professionals can take action in each of the four areas.
Use this resource to
- understand the inequities Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities face during COVID-19;
- consider community-led policy options to address the economic, health and social inequities amplified by COVID-19; and
- inform emergency preparedness plans for marginalized communities during COVID-19 and future public health emergencies.
Reference
Human Impact Partners. (2020). Health equity policy platform for COVID-19 response and recovery. Oakland (U.S.): Human Impact Partners.
Related resources
- Policy avenues: Interventions to reduce social inequalities in health (2014)
- Why social policies make coronavirus worse (2020)
- Policy approaches to reducing health inequalities (2016)
- Let’s Talk: Advocacy and health equity (2015)
- Conversation series: Health equity, determinants of health and COVID-19 (2020)
Tags: COVID-19, Healthy public policy, Pandemic, Racism/racialization, Participate in policy development, Website