Achieving health equity in all communities has been identified as a guiding principle for the Department of Health’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. This webpage was developed to provide a central location for health equity and cultural competency information and resources for department employees and partners.
Click here to view and/or print the SDDOH Health Equity Infographic:
Better Health for All in South Dakota
Click here for a list of definitions related to health equity and cultural competency.
Preferred Terms for Select Population Groups & Communities (CDC)
![Strategies for Health Equity](/web/20230516161340im_/https://doh.sd.gov/images/HE_Strategies.jpg)
Build organizational capacity
Organizations can engage in practices that influence their impact on health equity. Practices such as staff training, resource distribution, and staffing decisions impact public health.
Community engagement
Involve community members in health initiatives to foster relationships, improve assessment efforts, build capacity to positively affect the community, and enhance sustainability.
Establish and foster partnerships
Engage a diverse sector of partners to collectively achieve equitable outcomes by leveraging diverse skills and expertise.
Understand health equity
Understand inequities that exist to establish baselines, monitor trends over time, inform partners where to focus resources, and ensure strategies address the needs of populations experiencing health inequities.
Health equity-focused evidence-based strategies
Ensure strategies have a deliberate focus on health equity and include supportive activities to address barriers or unintended outcomes underserved populations may face.
Evaluation
Focus on health equity in evaluation efforts and use culturally appropriate tools and methodologies. Health equity-oriented evaluation can reveal trends in health inequities.
![Trainings, Webinars, and Continuing Education](/web/20230516161340im_/https://doh.sd.gov/images/HE_Training.jpg)
Think Cultural Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Note: You must log in or register to take this continuing education course
Continuing education for health care administrators and providers; disaster and emergency personnel; nurses and social workers; oral health professionals; and physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants
Moving to Institutional Equity: A Tool to Address Racial Equity for Public Health Practitioners
National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) Health Equity Council
This health equity toolkit has been created by the Institutional Equity Committee, a subgroup of the NACDD Health Equity Council, to help identify biased practices and policies. It is being piloted in 9 states.
Roots of Health Inequity
The Roots of Health Inequity is an online learning collaborative. The site offers a starting place for those who want to address systemic differences in health and wellness that are actionable, unfair, and unjust. As a participant in the learning collaborative, you will have a chance to explore concepts and strategies by working through five critical questions.
Achieving Health Equity
This course presents education on how to identify and eliminate health disparities in your organization. It will help your organization prioritize the elimination of disparities as a cross-cutting initiative to improve the quality of care for the individuals and families in your community.
Poverty Simulation: SPENT Training Challenge
SPENT helps people understand the challenges and trade-offs faced by individuals with low socio-economic status.
![National Standards](/web/20230516161340im_/https://doh.sd.gov/images/HE_NationalStandards.jpg)
National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)National CLAS Standards (PDF)
![Self-Assessments and Additional Resources](/web/20230516161340im_/https://doh.sd.gov/images/HE_SelfAssessments.jpg)
Rationale and Benefits
Organizations and individuals are at various levels of awareness, knowledge and skill acquisition along the cultural competency continuum. Completing self-assessments offers many benefits, including monitoring how effectively you are addressing the needs and preferences of culturally/linguistically diverse groups, improving family/client utilization of services, and individual strengths and areas for growth. Self-assessments are a tool, not a test, and should be used to help you consider your own skills, knowledge, and awareness in your interactions with others.
https://nccc.georgetown.edu/assessments/rationale.php
Test your cultural competency
Additional Resources
- HHS: Think Cultural Health
- NACDD: Health Equity Resources/Tools
- ASTHO: Health Equity & Social Determinants of Health
South Dakota Resources:
![Health Improvement Innovation Request for Applications (RFA)](/web/20230516161340im_/https://doh.sd.gov/images/HE_RFA.jpg)
Overview
This funding opportunity is intended to support strategies that have a deliberate focus on health improvement and include activities to address barriers or unintended outcomes underserved populations may face. These efforts will support one of the guiding principles of the SD DOH to “achieve health equity in all communities, while working towards the mission of working together to promote, protect, and improve health”. Successful applicants can be awarded up to $25,000.
Eligibility
Potential applicants for this RFA include but are not limited to local governmental and non-profit community-based organizations, coalitions, youth groups, schools, post-secondary institutions, civic associations, service clubs, healthcare organizations, faith-based organizations, parent groups, neighborhood associations, and worksites.
Important Dates
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Application Opened: May 1, 2023
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Application Deadline: June 30, 2023
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Project Period: August 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024 (10 months)
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Final Reports Due and Funds Must be Expended: May 31, 2024
How to Apply
Questions?
Kayla Townsend, Health Improvement Coordinator
[email protected]
605-721-4584
![Stay Updated](/web/20230516161340im_/https://doh.sd.gov/images/HE_SDHealthImprovementCoalition.jpg)
Meetings
December 9, 2022: Agenda | Minutes
August 26, 2022: Agenda | Minutes
Organizations
- Avera Health
- Black Hills Special Services Cooperative
- City of Sioux Falls Health Department
- Disability Rights of South Dakota
- Helpline Center
- Horizon Health Care
- Indian Health Services
- Lutheran Social Services
- Monument Health
- Pennington County Health & Human Services
- Sanford Health
- South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations
- South Dakota Council of Community Behavioral Health
- SD Department of Education
- SD Department of Health
- SD Department of Labor & Regulation
- SD Department of Social Services
- SD Department of Transportation
- SD Department of Tribal Relations
- SD Department of Veterans Affairs
- South Dakota Sheriff's Association
- South Dakota State University Extension
- Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
- WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program