Rhode to Equity Initiative Kickoff Sessions

The Rhode Island Executive Office of Health & Human Services and Department of Health, together with CTC-RI hosted a 2-part kickoff session for the Rhode to Equity Initiative on July 14 and 29. These information sessions brought in subject matter experts Dr. Somava Saha, founder and Executive Lead, and Seth Fritsch, Project Manager, at Wellbeing and Equity in the World, an organization committed to advancing frameworks to improve population health equity. With over 60 attendees at each session, the 6 health equity zones (HEZs), along with their partners (accountable entities, primary care clinics, community health teams, community-based organizations, and individuals with lived experience of inequities) were able to come together with other teams.

During the first session, teams were oriented to the Rhode to Equity Initiative by learning about the pathways to population health (P2PH) framework. Dr. Somava Saha lead a discussion on Changing the World: Getting Proximate to the Issues and asking the questions: What equity issues exist? Who do you know is experiencing inequity? What systemic issues create this inequity? Teams were able to learn how to apply these concepts to their own communities using the P2PH compass tool.

For the second session, teams worked in breakout groups and met with their lead coaches to learn about stakeholder engagement and involving persons with lived experiences. Throughout the session, teams had the opportunity to introduce themselves, the populations and geographic areas they intend to improve, and share each team’s “theme” song.