Equity in BCHD

Health Equity
Health Equity ensures that every person has the opportunity to attain their full health potential

In September 2018 the Baltimore City Council passed and the Mayor signed the Equity Assessment Ordinance for each Baltimore City agency to hire an Equity Coordinator, conduct equity assessments, plan and implement equity initiatives, and track outcomes.

In November 2020 the Baltimore City Health Department created a department-wide Health Equity Committee in order to implement strategies for more equitable outcomes. The Health Equity Committee was made up of a cross section of senior leadership, mid-level management, and frontline staff. The committee was structured with a general committee made up of all members and two subcommittees: external and internal committees.

The external committee’s responsibility was to focus on developing recommendations to engage Baltimore City residents, integrating a defined health equity approach. The internal committee focused on integrating a health equity approach throughout BCHD itself – to ultimately improve services and internal engagement as a way to foster connectedness among staff and residents.