Health Equity

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What is Equity?

The image above shows the difference between equality and equity, two concepts that are often used interchangeably, but have different meanings.

Equality means that everyone is given the same resources or opportunities. In the top portion of this image, all participants were given the same bicycle. Unfortunately, this bike does not meet everyone’s unique, individual needs.

Equity is achieved when everyone gets the resources and opportunities that they need to live the healthiest life possible. In the bottom half of the image, rather than giving everyone the same bike and expecting them to exercise, everyone received a bike that is appropriate to their size and fits their needs. Now every participant can exercise.

In response to Chapter 2021-1700 of the Florida Statute, all counties have been provided resources to create a Health Equity Plan to address health inequities in their communities. The Health Equity Plan is intended to guide counties in their efforts to create and improve systems, thus ensuring everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain optimal health. This plan acknowledges that collaborative initiatives to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) are the most effective at reducing health disparities. SDOH include economic stability, neighborhood and physical environment, education, food, health care systems, and community and social context.

Different groups will contribute to the creation of the Health Equity Plan. The DOH-Polk Health Equity Liaison will facilitate group discussions and activities, as well as ensure that all grant requirements are met. The contributing groups are as follows:

• Health Equity Team members are County Health Department (CHD) staff who are committed to improving the capacity of the CHD to address health inequity through training and health disparity data analysis. The Health Equity Team will prioritize a health disparity to be addressed in the Health Equity Plan and compile data identifying the SDOH that impact the prioritized health disparity.
• A Health Equity Plan Taskforce is a group of individuals representing community organizations, clinicians, subject matter experts, and government agencies tasked with creating a Health Equity Plan to address the SDOH that impact the prioritized health disparity.
• The Health Equity Coalition consists of community leaders who represent organizations that work to improve SDOH. The Coalition provides guidance and feedback regarding Health Equity Plan projects.

For questions, please contact Jenna Levine at Jenna.Levine@flhealth.gov or Taylor Freeman at Taylor.Freeman@flhealth.gov

Polk County’s Health Equity Plan (PDF-3MB Opens in new window)