Rhode to Equity Teams Gather at Conference to Celebrate Accomplishments

This month, in partnership with RIDOH and EOHHS, CTC-RI hosted the 2nd Rhode to Equity Conference which brought together the 6 Rhode to Equity teams, state partners, managed care organization staff, community health workers (CHW) and other relevant stakeholders. Approximately 85 people attended the event. This conference celebrates 2 years of work across multi-sector stakeholder teams to advance equity in their communities. Highlights of the day included subject matter expert sessions with local leaders on working with people of lived experiences of inequities and leveraging data and evaluation for advocacy. The keynote was provided by Estrus Tucker, DEI Consultants President and CEO who spoke about emotional intelligence as a tool to further equity work. Estrus engaged attendees and spoke about techniques that individuals can use in their work including intentionally listening, suspending judgements, and having cultural humility. Rhode to Equity teams then provided short presentations on their accomplishments throughout the initiative and goals for future work.

In the afternoon, attendees heard from a panel of Managed Care Organization (MCO) representatives from Neighborhood Health Plan, Tufts/Point32Health, and UnitedHealthcare. Rhode to Equity teams then had focused conversations with each other and MCO representatives about continued sustainability and how to continue and advance their current equity work.

Soma Saha, MD, MPH, Well Being & Equity in the World CEO & President, led attendees in a closing reflection before kicking off a CHW-led self-care session. This session was developed and led by Swanette Salazar, the lead CHW on this project.