Office of Health Equity
Office of Health Equity contributes to SF Department of Public Health vision of San Francisco becoming the healthiest place on earth. The DPH Health Equity program began in 2014 and established the Office of Health Equity in 2019. Alongside OHE staff, Equity Leaders across all DPH divisions advance equity through trainings, programs, and policies.
Community Engagement
The Community Engagement Team connects SFDPH with stakeholders and residents, supporting community initiatives through resource sharing, event participation, and direct engagement. CET addresses various social determinants of health, such as physical and mental health, housing, transportation, and environmental justice.
Equity & Culture
The Equity and Culture Team promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion through key initiatives, including Equity Learning Series, Respect in the Workplace, Equity Champions Program, and through building a culture of belonging. The team aims to embed equity in policies to enhance health outcomes for all San Franciscans.
Health Disparities
The Health Disparities, Data, Research & Policy Team promotes health equity through data-driven initiatives, including, health disparities tracking, equity planning and evaluation tools, public engagement and transparency. These efforts ensure equity is central to public health strategies and services.
Our Approach to Advancing Health Equity
We work collaboratively with internal and external partners to address the root causes of health disparities and inequities. We facilitate equity goal setting and monitor progress within SFDPH. We create equity tools to embed health equity considerations into SFDPH decision-making processes. We develop, implement and provide guidance on trainings, tools, practices, and policies within SFDPH to advance health equity.
Mission
We advance health equity and transform systems by mobilizing community power through Collaborative leadership, data-driven decision-making, capacity building, and continuous improvement.
Vision
San Francisco Office of Health Equity advances the SFDPH vision of San Francisco becoming the healthiest place on earth, by supporting SFDPH to address health disparities & health inequities to protect and promote equitable health for all San Franciscans.
Organizational structure
The Office of Health Equity works to advance equity in 4 focus areas: capacity building, supporting an equity culture, service quality improvements to reduce disparities and deepen community engagement, and to establish accountability for achieving change.
OHE staff also regularly partner with Equity Leads across 11 DPH Divisions. These divisions include Behavioral Health Services; Finance; Human Resources; Information Technology; Jail Health Services; Laguna Honda Hospital; Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health; Population Health; Primary Care; Whole Person Integrated Care; and Zuckerberg SF General.
