Equity resource page
Ohio ranks 47 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia on health value, based on the Health Policy Institute of Ohio’s 2021 Health Value Dashboard™. The Dashboard found that communities of color, Ohioans with disabilities, Ohioans who have lower incomes or educational attainment, are sexual or gender minorities and/or live in rural or Appalachian counties, experience the worst health outcomes. These groups of Ohioans face many barriers to being healthy throughout their lives. For example, they are more likely to be exposed to adverse childhood experiences, violence, racism and discrimination and unequal access to post-secondary education, a job that pays a self-sufficient income and quality housing. Improving health value in Ohio means closing Ohio’s troubling health gaps and ensuring that all Ohioans have the opportunity to live to their full health potential.
This equity resource page highlights:
- National, state and local sources for disaggregated data
- Ohio-based and national organizations working on health equity- related issues
- Publications and reports that provide data and information on health equity, as well as policies, practices and approaches to achieving health equity
- For more HPIO equity-related publications, click here. HPIO convenes an Equity Advisory Group to inform development of health equity-related products.
HPIO featured resources
- Private sector organizations: Ensuring Ohioans of Color Have a Fair Opportunity for Good Health (Dec. 2021)
- State and Local Policymakers: Ensuring Ohioans of Color Have a Fair Opportunity for Good Health (Sept. 2021)
- Resource page: Action steps to eliminate racism and advance equity
- Connections between racism and health: Taking action to eliminate racism and advance equity (Aug. 2020)
- Closing Ohio’s Health Gaps: Moving Towards Equity (Oct. 2018)
Source of disaggregated data
State sources
- Ohio COVID-19 disparities by race
- 2019 Ohio State Health Assessment
- 2019 Health Value Dashboard: Health equity profiles
- 2019 Health Value Dashboard: Ohio equity profiles for racial and ethnic groups
- Health disparities and inequities in Ohio: Findings from the 2016 Ohio state health assessment (SHA)
- 2017 Health Value Dashboard: Health equity profiles
- 2017 Health Value Dashboard: Ohio equity profiles for racial and ethnic groups
- Better Health Partnership’s Data center
National sources
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps – State and National reports
These reports provide data on gaps across health outcomes and health determinants in a state, with a focus on health equity. The reports highlight how disparities exist within a state by both place and race.
Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health
This interactive tool provides data from national child-health related surveys. Survey data may be available by geography, race and ethnicity, household income, household language and other characteristics.
Disability and Health Data System
This interactive tool provides data on health outcomes for people with disabilities, including demographic data and data on access to care and expenditures.
DiversityData.org: Data for Diverse and Equitable Metropolitan Populations
This resource provides data by metropolitan area on indicators of diversity, opportunity, quality of life and health. Data is available by race and ethnicity.
The Health Opportunity and Equity (HOPE) Initiative
This resource tracks 28 indicators that reflect systems and policies surrounding health equity. Measures are set at the national and state levels.
HealthyPeople.gov: Health Disparities Data
This data set provides measurable, population-based information on health disparities covering demographics such as sex, family income, disability status, geographic location, educational attainment, and age.
KIDS COUNT Data Center
This interactive tool provides data on children and families across health outcomes and the social determinants of health, including education and economic well-being.
Measure of America
This interactive resource provides data on the distribution of well-being and opportunity in the U.S., including measures of health, education and income.
National Equity Atlas
This resource provides data on demographic change, racial inclusion and the economic benefits of equity at the local, state and national levels.
National Veteran Health Equity Report
This report provides comparative patterns and rates of health for vulnerable Veteran groups.
The Opportunity Index: How Opportunity Measures Up in Your Community
This interactive resource provides data on overall opportunity, including economic, education, health outcome and other community measures.
PolicyMap
This customizable resource provides extensive data on health, housing and income-related topics, with multiple options for searching demographically by race, ethnicity, immigration status and other characteristics.
Prosperity Now Customized State Profile
State profiles available through this resource provide data on outcome and policy measures across five major issue areas—financial assets and income, business and jobs, homeownership and housing, health care and education.
Strategies to achieve health equity in Ohio
- COVID-19 Ohio Minority Health Strike Force Blueprint
- Ohio’s Executive Response: A Plan of Action to Advance Equity
- Strategies likely to decrease disparities in the 2019 Health Value Dashboard
- Strategies likely to decrease health disparities and inequities from the Ohio 2017-2019 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP)
- A new approach to reduce infant mortality and achieve equity: Policy recommendations to improve housing, transportation, education and employment
- ChangeLab Solutions: Achieving Health Equity through Law & Policy
Statewide and community-based organizations working toward equity
Adaptive Sports Progam of Ohio
Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio (ASPO) is a nonprofit organization established to promote the health and wellness of individuals with physical disabilities through competitive and recreational adaptive sport opportunities across Ohio.
Asian Services in Action (ASIA)
ASIA works to provide Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other communities with access to quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate information, health and social services.
Better Health Partnership
Better Health provides community-wide performance measurement and public reporting on data from electronic health records to improve provider performance, as well as identify and share best practices. Better Health works to identify and address achievement gaps among patient subgroups by examining trends over time to catalyze interventions to narrow the gaps.
Birthing Beautiful Communities (BBC)
BBC is made up of a team of community members trained as doulas and perinatal support people who provide education and support to expecting mothers. The organization was formed to address very high infant mortality rates and inadequate prenatal care among African American urban communities, specifically targeting residents of the most affected neighborhoods in Cleveland.
Center for Cancer Health Equity at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James
The Center for Cancer Health Equity works on connecting healthcare providers at the OSUCCC-James with community groups to increase minority enrollment in clinical trials and research studies.
Center for Reducing Health Disparities
The Center for Reducing Health Disparities helps to direct the Community Research Partnership Core of the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative involving Case Western Reserve University, MetroHealth Medical Center, University Hospitals of Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic. The Partnership Core facilitates community-based research among faculty, students, community organizations and community residents.
The Center for Closing the Health Gap
The Center for Closing the Health Gap is a non-profit organization focused on eliminating health disparities in the Greater Cincinnati area. The Center uses advocacy, community outreach and education to raise awareness about racial and ethnic health disparities and the social drivers of health.
Dayton Council on Health Equity
The Dayton Council on Health Equity serves as the Office of Minority Health in Montgomery County. The Council is being funded by the Ohio Commission on Minority Health and Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County to improve the health status of minority groups and to provide the community with resources on addressing health equity.
Equitas Health Institute of LGBTQ Health Equity
Equitas Health’s efforts are aimed towards increasing health equity for LGBTQ populations. The organization provides cultural competency training and education, supports individuals and organizations conducting LGBTQ health research and works closely with community organizations that interact with LGBTQ and HIV+ patients.
Groundwork Ohio
Groundwork Ohio is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization in Columbus, Ohio that advances quality early learning and development as the most transformative strategy to improve school outcomes, increase the life-long success of Ohio’s children, and lay a strong foundation for economic prosperity in Ohio. Groundwork Ohio is researching and publishing the Ohio Early Childhood Race and Rural Equity Report to bring greater understanding among policymakers and stakeholders of how race and location matters to the policies, institutions and systems that shape the future for children and families in Ohio.
The Health Collaborative
The Health Collaborative is a Cincinnati-based non-profit organization that brings together those who pay for care, provide care and receive care to solve health and healthcare’s biggest challenges. The Health Collaborative supports regional health systems, community organizations and employers in addressing health equity through programs that include quality improvement, population health, supplier diversity, language access planning, health equity, workforce diversity and peer-to-peer groupings on diversity and inclusion.
Healthcare Collaborative of Greater Columbus
The Healthcare Collaborative of Greater Columbus improves regional healthcare value by bringing together public and private partners through several key initiatives:
- Collaborative learning
- Quality improvement/transparency reporting
- Care coordination/medical neighborhood
- Patient family advisory councils
- Comprehensive primary care plus practice facilitation
Health Improvement Partnership – Cuyahoga
Health Improvement Partnership (HIP) Cuyahoga includes more than 100 active organizations that align to promote healthy, equitable living conditions in Cuyahoga County. HIP Cuyahoga’s four key priorities are eliminating structural racism, healthy eating and active living, linking clinical and public health and chronic disease management.
Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
The Kirwan Institute is an interdisciplinary research institute at The Ohio State University. The Institute’s work focuses on efforts that support equity and inclusion through research, engagement and communication.
Ohio Commission on Minority Health
The Ohio Commission on Minority Health is a state agency dedicated to eliminating disparities in minority health through innovative strategies and financial opportunities, public health promotion, legislative action, public policy and systems change.
Ohio Department of Health
The Ohio Department of Health addresses health inequities through the Office of Healthy Ohio. Programs and initiatives under the Office of Healthy Ohio aim to increase awareness of inequities and to encourage actions to eliminate them.
Health Equity and Mobility Justice: Frequently Asked Questions
Ohio Disability and Health Program
The Ohio Disability and Health Program (ODHP) is a state-based partnership that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people with disabilities in Ohio. Ohio Disability and Health Program is structured to eliminate barriers that people with disabilities face and create opportunities for optimal health.
Ohio Federation for Health Equity and Social Justice
The Ohio Federation for Health Equity and Social Justice is a non-profit organization consisting of various government agencies, organizations and individuals. Members of the Federation are committed to improving health equity, eliminating health disparities and securing social justice for minority populations.
Ohio Latino Affairs Commission
The Ohio Latino Affairs Commission advises state government on issues affecting Hispanic Ohioans, serves as a liaison between government and the Hispanic/Latino community in Ohio and advocates for the development and implementation of policies and programs to address Hispanic/Latino needs.
Ohio Regional Convergence Partnership (ORCP)
ORCP was established to advance the vision of healthy people in healthy places in the state of Ohio. As a funder collaborative, ORCP aims to support multi-field partnerships in achieving equitable and sustainable environmental and policy changes. ORPC has been involved with initiatives to increase access to healthy foods and physical activity, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The ORCP Steering Committee consists of Interact for Health of Cincinnati, The HealthPath Foundation of Ohio, The Saint Luke’s Foundation of Cleveland and Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland.
Ohio Statewide Health Disparities Collaborative (OSHDC)
The OSHDC is a collaborative of non-profit agencies, healthcare organizations, government agencies, academia and private sector organizations that are working together to achieve health equity and eliminate health disparities in Ohio.
National organizations and equity-related resources
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
American Academy of Pediatrics
- The American Bar Association provides a central clearinghouse of information and resources for legal professionals and the public on addressing bias, racism and prejudice in the justice system and society.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
American Journal of Public Health
- This article gives examples of successful, cross-disciplinary, grassroots efforts in Louisiana to reduce incarceration and improve health, as well as recommendations to further work in this area.
American Public Health Association
- Better Health through Equity: Case Studies in Reframing Public Health Work, March 2015
- Public Health and Equity: Promote environmental justice and equity principles in transportation policy
- Article, White House panel: How to Achieve Health Equity in our Lifetime, April 2015
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- A Practitioner’s Guide for Advancing Health Equity: Community Strategies for Preventing Chronic Disease, 2013
- Reaching for Health Equity infographic, October 2016
- Sources for Data on Social Determinants of Health, January 2018
- Strategies for Reducing Health Disparities — Selected CDC-Sponsored Interventions, United States, 2016, from the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, February 2016
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- What Works – Promoting Health Equity: Evidence-Based Interventions for Your Community, November 2017
County Health Rankings and Roadmaps
- Action Toolkit: To Advance Health Equity, March 2013
- Webinar: Advancing Health Equity Through Strategic Partnerships, April 2017
- Webinar: Building a Movement for Health Equity, January 2018
Health & Environmental Funders Network
National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine
- Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity, 2017
- Perspectives on Health Equity & Social Determinants of Health
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Collaborative for Health Equity
National Conference of State Legislatures
- Equitable Development Toolkit
- Race, Place and Jobs: Reducing Employment Inequality in America’s Metros, January 2017
This resource gives insights on theories that inform the American approach to criminal justice, suggestions on how individuals can develop a wider view of how biases impact the way issues are framed, and recommendations on how conventional understanding of criminal thinking can be improved.
- Health Equity and Prevention Primer, February 2017
- Communities Taking Action: Profiles of Health Equity
- Countering the Production of Health Inequities through Systems and Sectors, December 2016
Practices to Reduce Infant Mortality through Equity
- 2017 Prosperity Now Scorecard
- Whose Bad Choices? How Policy Precludes Prosperity and What We Can Do About It, 2018
- Resources on the origins of structural racism in the criminal justice system, with a focus on specific populations, imagining criminal justice transformation, key organizations involved in criminal justice reform, legislation and policy, policing and public safety, and more.
Restoring Our Own Through Transformation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Achieving Health Equity: Why Equity Matters and what you can do to help ensure we all have the basics to be healthy
- Health Equity Principles for State and Local Leaders in Responding to, Reopening and Recovering from COVID-19
- What is Health Equity? May 2017
- Visualizing Health Equity: Why One Size Does Not Fit All, June 2017
Safe Routes to School (National Partnership)
- This report describes the extent of racial disparities in the criminal justice system and provides best practices for reducing racial disparities, implementing strategies and measuring change in race and criminal justice outcomes.
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Innovations in Health Equity
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office of Minority Health
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Veterans Health Administration: Office of Health Equity
- Communities in Action: Championing Change for Children, 2017
- Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation, 2016
- One Journey: Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, 2020
Other relevant articles and resources
- Health Affairs. Identifying Policy Levers and Opportunities For Action Across States to Achieve Health Equity, June 2017 (log-in required)
- Health Affairs. Promoting Health Equity And Population Health: How Americans’ Views Differ, November 2016 (log-in required)
- International Journal of Health Policy and Management. “Addressing Health Equity Through Action on the Social Determinants of Health: A Global Review of Policy Outcome Evaluation Methods,” February 2018
To suggest adding resources to this page or to find out more about HPIO’s Health Equity Advisory Group, please contact Carrie Almasi, calmasi@hpio.net.
Last updated 11/19/2021
- HPIO featured resources
- Policy tools and resources