I have a topic this month that’s extremely important to talk about.
Numbers play a big role in running our organization. Data can tell all kinds of stories. Some stories grab our attention because they’re not what we want to hear. They do tell us we need a shift in our thinking and strategy.
Our County vision is a region that’s healthy, safe and thriving. We have ways we measure these things. If you look at measurements around the region, you’ll find our vision is closer to reality for some people than it is for others. Dig at the data and you can see patterns: certain segments of the population struggling to reach the outcomes of what it means to Live Well. They have more health issues. They’re affected more by crime. They’re less engaged in ways like election turnout.
The disparities show up when you cut the data by where people live, their age, race and ethnicity, gender or economic level. Across those communities, measurements of well-being don’t come out evenly. Nobody expects perfect distribution, but for some groups, the differences are beyond what’s reasonable or expected when you compare them to how the whole region is doing.
The causes of these disparities are very complex. But we need to recognize first of all that these differences exist and acknowledge they’re a challenge to reaching our vision. And then we need to let that knowledge help shape how we operate. If we see an area with needs out of proportion to its size, we’ll have to put together an outsized response to tackle it.
We’ve launched an effort to counter these disparities, calling it Live Well Communities. The name captures that it’s still our Live Well vision we’re promoting, but it puts special emphasis on creating opportunities for it to reach all residents.
That’s the key word: all.
It’s an audacious goal. It will take stages to get there. To figure out a place to start, the Live Well Communities team went back to the data to identify where the need was greatest. They decided to focus first on the southeastern San Diego city area.
The team has members from across County departments, because making changes will take a multifaceted, coordinated approach. And a very deliberate approach. Rather than us just running in and trying to come up with solutions, the team is starting by engaging community members. We’ll work with them to figure out the best use for our resources.
It’s not that these neighborhoods are new to us. But we’ll look at ways to strengthen services we offer there and get rid of barriers that might be preventing people from receiving our services. That may mean having more of a physical presence, so it’s easier for people to reach us and get to know us – and trust us. It will mean expanding our network of partnerships.
Part of the regional effort is understanding that we’ll need different tactics to have success in different communities. We’ll repeat what we can as we move to new areas, but also be prepared to customize our approach.
This is where Live Well Communities works hand in hand with our Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. Part of Diversity and Inclusion is helping our employees recognize and appreciate differences, among both co-workers and customers. And understanding that those differences mean we can’t resort to one-size-fits-all solutions. It’s a mindset that is critical to have as we serve a diverse population and take on the disparities we see in certain communities.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In that same vein, I’d say we can’t be a region that’s healthy, safe and thriving unless all residents are healthy, safe and thriving. Live Well Communities represents our commitment to that goal – one we can all get behind.
Our County Public Health Officer, Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H. answered:
