Public health professionals, education professionals, and individuals invested in the well-being of Louisianans gathered virtually for the 2022 Health Summit: Pathways through Policy for Equitable Recovery. Local, state, and nationally recognized speakers lead discussions around pathways to equitable recovery, renewal, and resilience to move Louisiana forward.
“Louisiana has been impacted by so many different disasters over the past two years,” said Alma Stewart, summit organizer and Louisiana Center for Health Equity founder/president. “It is important that equity remains at the forefront of recovery and that we build resilient communities with members who can be decision-makers in their own recovery efforts. The summit explored different practices and policies to move Louisiana forward from these storms and COVID-19, focusing on whole health and how participants can further support these efforts.”
Gov. John Bel Edwards opened the two-day summit, followed by Gail Christopher, MD, executive director, National Collaborative for Health Equity, who served as the keynote speaker. Davondra Brown, director of the Bureau of Community Partnerships and Health Equity for the Louisiana Department of Health, was also on hand to discuss how the department is addressing health equity and moving Louisiana forward.
The five key objectives that were outlined during the summit included defining equitable recovery and providing examples of policies that have a proven or promising impact on health outcomes, health equity, and achieving LA40by2030; explaining how a data-driven equity approach to social and political determinants of health, including place, race, and poverty, contributes to Louisiana’s recovery efforts; engaging participants in advancing policy initiatives, such as addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), improving women’s health, adopting a living wage, and greater accountability on improving health outcomes and equitable recovery; identifying the roles various audiences, including policymakers, communities, and individuals, can play in an equitable recovery; and providing updates and promoting collaboration, civic engagement, and collective impact for the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) and improving Louisiana’s health ranking.
The summit was organized via the Louisiana Center for Health Equity in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Health Office of Public Health and Pennington Biomedical Research Center.