Health equity is the attainment of the highest level of health for everyone and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of any socially defined circumstances1. Research shows that Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC), low-income, rural, and other socially marginalized groups experience disparate outcomes in health, education, and overall well-being.2 Acknowledging the role of social determinants of health (i.e., economic and social conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play) can help advance health equity in child safety work.
The recently released guide, Health Equity: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Assessment Guide for Mulitdisciplinary Teams, was developed in partnership with the National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention (NCFRP), Children’s Safety Network and Safe Kids Worldwide. The Guide will support child health and safety professionals in determining their needs in implementing a health equity lens into their unique coalition and committee efforts, an important step in ultimately working toward health equity in their communities. To maximize use of this important resource, a Facilitator Manual was also developed and was launched during this webinar.
In this webinar, Deirdre Jennings-Holton, Education Development Center, discussed why diversity, equity and inclusion are important and how it impacts child safety work. Susanna Joy, NCFRP, discussed the need for and development of the Guide and the Facilitator Manual and provide an overview of the pilot process. Heather Snell, Metro Nashville Public Health Department, shared examples of how she used this tool in the pilot phase of development. Our presenters answered your questions during the webinar. CSN-A member Morag MacKay, Safe Kids, moderated the webinar.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Deirdre Jennings-Holton, SHRM-SCP, is the Director of Global Talent Acquisition for Education Development Center (EDC) where she proposed the effort to train employees on implicit bias awareness and
mitigation as the foundation for refocusing and revitalizing all other Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. She co-developed and co-facilitates EDC’s six-month “Understanding and Mitigating Implicit Bias”© internal training program. A skilled facilitator, Ms. Jennings-Holton has also developed and led engaging trainings that center equitable and inclusive best practices in performance management, team building, professional development, cross-cultural communication, and recruitment. Her work has included facilitating dialogues across teams to understand the impacts of intersectionality and identify points of bias in their processes. In this capacity, Deirdre has supported Maternal and Child Health Home Visiting Programs, networks of public school district early childcare providers, and technical assistance providers to communities throughout Massachusetts in support of substance misuse prevention. Ms. Jennings-Holton holds a B.Sc. degree in Marketing, with a concentration in international business, from the University of Maryland Smith School of Business.
Susanna Joy, MA, is a project coordinator at the National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention (NCFRP) where she provides technical assistance, support, and project management to child death review
(CDR) and fetal and infant mortality review (FIMR) teams across the country. In this role she facilitates workgroups, leads the 5 CDR regional networks, and develops resources to support the interdisciplinary field of fatality review professionals. Susanna has been with the National Center since 2017. She holds an MA in health and risk communication and is currently pursuing her PhD in interdisciplinary health sciences at Western Michigan University. , is a project coordinator at the National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention (NCFRP) where she provides technical assistance, support, and project management to child death review (CDR) and fetal and infant mortality review (FIMR) teams across the country. In this role she facilitates workgroups, leads the 5 CDR regional networks, and develops resources to support the interdisciplinary field of fatality review professionals. Susanna has been with the National Center since 2017. She holds an MA in health and risk communication and is currently pursuing her PhD in interdisciplinary health sciences at Western Michigan University.
Morag MacKay, MSc, is Research Director for Safe Kids Worldwide. Her professional experience has largely focused on conducting and translating research to help move policy and
programs towards evidence-based practices, finding ways to motivate those changes and developing tools to support them. Morag has worked in child injury prevention and control for more than 25 years. Her contributions to the field have been in the areas of injury surveillance, research, education, policy, program planning and evaluation. Prior to joining Safe Kids, Morag spent over a decade with the European Child Safety Alliance (ECSA), working with more than 30 countries across Europe to reduce child injuries. Prior to ECSA, Morag was Director of Plan-it Safe, the child and youth injury prevention center at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, Canada. Ms. MacKay earned an undergraduate degree in nursing science from the University of Ottawa and a graduate degree in medical science with a specialization in epidemiology from the University of Calgary. Morag is an active member of the Children’s Safety Now Alliance (CSN-A).
Heather Snell, MSPH, is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of families in Nashville through policy, systems, and environmental change
while using a health equity lens. She is currently serving as the Fetal Infant Mortality Review Director at the Metro Nashville Public Health Department where she has been for the past 8 years. During this time, she has served in different roles including the Safe Sleep Campaign Manager and the Prevention and Wellness Coordinator. She also co-leads a Universal Home Visiting Referral Workgroup for Child Fatality Review to ensure all families are offered home visiting services. Heather received her BS in biology from Middle Tennessee State University and her MSPH from Meharry Medical College.
1Whitehead M, Dahlgren G. (2007). Levelling up (Part 1): Concepts and principles for tackling social inequities in health. World Health Organization. Retrieved June 22, 2022 from http://www. euro.who.int/document/e89383.pdf
2Child Safety Forward. Alliance for Strong Families and Communities. Child Safety Forward (alliance1.org) https://www.social-current.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Child-Safety-Forward-Resource-Briefs.pdf