April 13, 2015
Background
rootsofhealthinequity.org
What is Roots of Health Inequity?
An educational website and collaborative learning course for public
health practitioners. Roots of Health Inequity is…
• …based on a social justice framework.
• …includes five course units featuring interactive presentations and
case studies, readings, videos, audio, and group-directed
discussions.
• …revolves around online group discussion.
• …non-linear—there is no prescribed way to participate or “go
through” the course.
Why now?
“A wealth of research has documented the deep connection between
lived experience, social injustice, and inequities in rates of illness
and death among different populations. Meaningful responses to
these complex issues include equipping the workforce with new
approaches and the support of a community of peers ready to
act. Roots of Health Inequity attempts to do just that.” (Roots of
Health Inequity Newsletter, 4/19/2012)
The Opportunity: What will Roots offer?
•
A different way of thinking about public health practice.
•
A conceptual frame that links social justice to public health practice.
•
Resources and insights learners can share with others.
•
Answers to common questions about addressing health inequities.
•
Opportunities to collaborate and strategize with colleagues across the
country.
“Roots of Health Inequity is an exciting resource that supports individuals, small
groups, and organizations in advancing public health practice. During these
challenging times, this online curriculum ties public health to social change and
offers keen insight on the important mission of reorganizing public health practice
to eliminate health inequities.”
Linda Rae Murray, MD, MPH – Chief Medical Officer, Cook County
Department of Public Health and Past President of the American Public
Health Association, 2009-2012
“These course materials are transformative. As students engage in and reflect on
social justice and public health they are able to understand issues in a broader
context allowing them to bring forward a more powerful approach to decreasing
health inequities. [Roots of Health Inequity] allowed my students to build a critical
conversation around the roots causes of health inequity.”
Jennifer Herbert-Beirne, PhD - Clinical Assistant Professor
University of Chicago at Illinois School of Public Health
Course Units
UNIT 1:
Where Do We Start? (CEUs)
Explore the relationships between changing the culture of our
organizations, engaging community members, and negotiating with
political pressures strategically.
While this course is filled with valuable information and interesting
activities, only specific areas of Unit 1 are required for Continuing
Education (CE). You do not have to complete the entire unit. The
required activities are indicated by the icon below or in the title of a
link with the initials "(CE)" at the end.
UNIT 2:
What Are “Frames” and How Do They Influence
Public Health Practice?
Consider how “mental models” or “frames” influence public health
work. Discuss how values, assumptions, and interests affect the
capacity for addressing health inequities.
UNIT 3:
What Can History Teach Us about the Role of
Public Health and Public Health Practitioners?
Consider how “mental models” or “frames” influence public health
work. Discuss how values, assumptions, and interests affect the
capacity for addressing health inequities.
Unit 4:
What Are the Principles of Social Justice?
Explore the principles of social justice and ways to influence the
institutions and agencies that generate health inequity.
UNIT 5:
What Are the Root Causes of Health Inequities?
Examine the importance of class structure, racism, and gender
inequity in the development of health inequities.
Definitions
Learning Group:
• A group of 5-8 participants who agree to participate in group
discussion based on the course material.
Group Leader:
• The coordinator for the Learning Group. The Group Leader selects
activities and organizes in-person meetings, timelines, and
expectations. The Group Leader is not expected to facilitate online
discussion, necessarily.
Definitions
Course Unit:
•
An area of the website, comprising presentations, discussion activities and
resources grouped by two or three themes. Learning Groups are not
necessarily expected to participate and review all of the presentations,
discussion activities and resources in a course unit.
Discussion activities:
•
The bulk of the “work” in Roots of Health Inequity. Review presentations and
resources, reflect, and then respond to discussion prompts online in a
discussion forum. Your Learning Group can choose to participate in one
discussion activity or several.
Roots of Health Inequity offers wide a selection of
multimedia
Course Unit
Overview Page
Review the “Purpose and
Overview” Section
The “Purpose and
Overview” section
introduces each unit.
Review the Unit Index
Use the Course Unit Index
to preselect discussion
activities and navigate the
unit.
Sample Activity
Presentation
Click to explore
presentations, reflect on
the content.
Discussion prompt
Review the discussion
prompts and respond
online.
Discussion
Scroll to down to the
bottom of a discussion
page to find the
discussion box. Cutand-paste your text from
Word, or edit your text in
the discussion box. You
can add formatting, links,
and images.
Advice for
Learning Groups
Step 1: Plan a Group
• Gather colleagues from your organization.
• Include colleagues who work in different parts of your organization
with different experiences in addressing health equity and learning
about the root causes. With this type of diversity, your group
discussions may reveal surprising insights.
Step 2: Select the Group Leader
This person will serve as a central contact and administrator for the
group. Group Leader responsibilities include:
• Creating the group
• Selecting the units, activities, and discussion prompts for your group
• Establishing a calendar with schedule, goals, meetings
• Inviting others to join the group
• Posting bulletin board updates and announcements
• Encouraging and monitoring online discussions
Step 3: Group Leader Selects Activities
Leaders may want to look over the course units before starting their
group to get a sense of the course topics, interactive presentations and
depth of content. This will help the leader allocate time and create a
schedule that meets the needs of the group. To do this, join the "General
Group" and look for the unit titles under "Units."
An activity from Unit 2: Perspectives on
Framing, “Recognizing Frames Through
Language.” Participants are asked to
complete the table and then see how their
answers compare to other members of
their Learning Group.
Step 4: Set up an in-person meeting. Discuss:
• How to…
o
o
o
o
o
… create a username and password
…login
…find the course material and discussion prompts chosen for
the group
…use the interactivities
…use the discussion forums
• Questions or concerns about the chosen activities and
discussions
Step 4: Set up an in-person meeting. Discuss:
• Scheduling and participation issues
o
o
o
o
o
o
Start and end dates for discussion activities
Future in-person meetings
New group members
Issues that might affect participation (e.g., group members’
schedules)
Group responsibilities
Group expectations for participation
Step 4: Set up an in-person meeting. Discuss:
• Group norms
o
o
What are the basic ground rules for participation?
What conditions do we need for a comfortable discussion?
What conditions are realistic?
An example of group norms developed
by a Learning Group.
Step 5: Begin!
•
Learning Group members should review important background
information
•
Contact rootsofhealthinequtiy.org with any problems related to
registration and login in.
Review information on the Homepage
rootsofhealthinequity.org
Review information on the login page.
members.rootsofhealthinequity.org
members.rootsofhealthinequity.org
Help Guides!
Some Frequently
Asked Questions
Some Frequently Asked Questions
1) How much time will I need to do this?
Take as much time as you need. The Roots of Health Inequity site offers
a collection or menu of activities and discussions. There is no prescribed
amount of time necessary to participate on the site or to review material.
You don't have to go through each unit from start to finish or feel
pressured to explore the material in a particular order. Your group is free
to explore the material or participate in the discussions you find most
interesting.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
2) Will Roots be used in accreditation processes and
performance reviews?
There are no plans to tie this course into formal accreditation and quality
improvement processes, although participating organizations are
welcome to incorporate material from this course into their staff
development programs.
3) Can I get Continuing Education credits for this
activity?
Yes.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
The International Association for Continuing Education and Training CEU: The CDC has
been approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing
Education and Training (IACET), 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA 22102. The
CDC is authorized by IACET to offer 0.2 ANSI/IACET CEU's for this program.
For Nurses, CNE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is accredited as a provider
of Continuing Nursing Education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on
Accreditation. This activity provides 2.4 contact hours.
For Health Educators, CECH: Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a
designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the
National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designed for
Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) to receive up to 2.5 Category I CECH in
health education. CDC provider number GA0082.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
3) Can I participate on my own?
If you want to take the course with others, but are not able to form a
group from your organization, join the "General Group." You will see the
comments from other members and you can engage in their discussions,
activities, and bulletin board posts. Access the course units from the
group page under the heading "Units." Take this course as a solitary
individual by creating a private, closed group. Comments and postings
from other members will not appear in this type of group.
NOTE: Continuing Education requirements include participation in group
discussions.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to additional Frequently Asked Questions can be found at the
top of the Homepage.
Contact for questions and concerns:
rootsofhealthinequity@naccho.org