"A Way of Being": Experiences of City and County Health Departments in Addressing Health Equity

The impact of health disparities and inequities have been documented for decades but disparities have remained over time. Less focus has been given to practical approaches for agencies and organizations to address health inequities. Through interviews conducted with 15 participants from five different health departments around the United States, this explored how county and city health departments have applied an equity lens to their work. Collectively, the data point to a need for a paradigm shift within public health from a paradigm that focuses on behavior changes to one that focuses on the conditions that produce health outcomes. My findings give insight into the many ways organizations can make changes to address health equity in their communities and will inform the work of the Salt Lake County Health Department .