Equity with our Clients and Communities

Health Equity Toolkit

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Our Health Equity Toolkit guides public health departments in rural and remote communities  to improve health equity through internal organizational development. The toolkit engages participants at a personal and organizational level through analytical evaluation, relational reflection, and emotional connection, eliciting the profound shift in fundamental perspectives and organizational culture that is the core of health equity work. This toolkit focuses primarily on the internal structure and culture of an organization, which lay the foundation for direct community-wide efforts.

Applied Equitable Evaluation Insights

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Since 2022, the Colorado Health Foundation (CHF) has provided grants to 30 communities to support the planning and construction of outdoor spaces designed with community input. Through CHF’s Equitable Community-Designed Outdoor Spaces program, grants of $25,000 to $50,000 fund essential aspects of community-driven design efforts, including personnel, meeting space, stipends for participants, translation, childcare, and other resources that enable more inclusive community involvement.

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In 2023, the Omni Institute began evaluating CHF’s 2022 funding cohort, aiming to help CHF understand how these communities engaged in participatory and collaborative design processes. This case study highlights four key equitable evaluation insights from the project, covering considerations in evaluation design and the flexibility needed to make real-time adjustments during the evaluation.

Health Disparities: An Experience from Virginia's Prevention Efforts

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A health disparity is a systematic, and sometimes avoidable, difference in health outcomes between groups with differing social positions. Such disparities negatively impact the health of those connected to social, economic, and environmental disadvantages.

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In 2020, Omni Institute collaborated with the Virginia State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup to produce this document, intended to foster a shared understanding of health disparities. It provides examples of these disparities within Virginia and highlights efforts to address them, serving as an introduction to the concept of health disparities and the role of data in addressing them.

Qualitative Study: Marternal Health Disparaities in Colorado Communities of Color

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In 2021, Omni received funding from the Telligen Community Initiative to conduct a qualitative study exploring the experiences of people of color during pregnancy, peripartum, and postpartum periods within hospital systems. This study focuses on a particularly vulnerable time when the risks for pregnancy-related complications and mortality are heightened. In partnership with the Colorado Hospital Association, Omni held six focus groups and two Spanish-language interviews, gathering insights from 24 participants who identified as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, were 18 years or older, and had delivered a baby in a Colorado hospital within the past year.

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Participants, recruited through community outreach and the Colorado Hospital Association’s network, shared both positive experiences and areas for improvement in their maternity care. The study’s findings aim to guide Colorado hospitals and healthcare systems in addressing systemic barriers that contribute to increased risks for people of color.

Maricopa County Community Health Needs Assessment

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This 2024 qualitative assessment aimed to gather valuable insights from 24 diverse key informants across 15 sectors, each offering unique perspectives on the health issues and social systems affecting their communities. Rather than relying on perceived community needs, this project employed the Community Capacity Assessment (CCA) tool, a key component of the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP 2.0) framework. This approach not only identified community challenges but also highlighted strengths, resources, and cultural attributes. By focusing on the inherent vitality within communities, the CCA emphasizes the importance of leveraging and enhancing community strengths to foster overall well-being and progress.