Neighborhood Health Center is part of the national health center movement that has roots in social justice. We recognize that ongoing education is vital to upholding our principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in everything we do.
Our DEIJ resource library is below. Let’s learn together!
An introduction to the history of healthcare centers and their role in serving our communities.
Introduction to addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH) that impact our community in order to ensure everyone has the opportunity to achieve their highest level of health.
Introduction to fostering an environment of continuous self-reflection that ensures our interactions are grounded in the ability to recognize and addressing power imbalances and build authentic partnerships within our community.
Introduction to the how the historical and systemic roots of racism shape our society and impact individuals' lives so that we can dismantling racial inequalities.
Introduction to improving every aspect of patient care by ensuring make every interaction a positive and meaningful part of the patient's healthcare journey.
An introduction to the resilience and hope within our LGBTQ+ community despite significant challenges.
Article.
Discusses how the work initiated during the 1964 Freedom Summer to combat racial segregation and improve healthcare access is still ongoing. Despite significant progress, the fight for equitable, compassionate healthcare continues, underscoring the need for ongoing advocacy and systemic change to address persistent health disparities.
This book tells the story of one groundbreaking approach to medicine that attacks the problem by focusing on the wellness of whole neighborhoods. As products of the civil rights movement, community health centers provided not only primary and preventive care, but also social and environmental services, economic development, and empowerment.
Our Community Health Center members play an integral role in fostering health equity by working to ensure access to healthcare for everyone. They rely heavily on Medicaid revenue and this report by the Urban Institute examines the NYS PPS system as a foundation for ensuring access to equitable and comprehensive primary care.
Melinda Epler, 9 Minute video
In this actionable talk, Epler shares three ways to support people who are underrepresented in the workplace. "There's no magic wand for correcting diversity and inclusion," she says. "Change happens one person at a time, one act at a time, one word at a time."
Verna Myers, 18 minute video
Our biases can be dangerous, even deadly. Diversity advocate Verna Myers looks closely at some of the subconscious attitudes we hold toward out-groups. She makes a plea to all people: Acknowledge your biases. Then move toward, not away from, the groups that make you uncomfortable. In a funny, impassioned, important talk, she shows us how.
Nearly everyone faces hardships and difficulties at one time or another. But for people with disabilities, barriers can be more frequent and have greater impact. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes barriers as being more than just physical obstacles.
Designed for physicians and other health care professionals, Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts provides guidance and promotes a deeper understanding of equity-focused, person-first language and why it matters.
Cat Bohannon, 45 minute listen
One of the primary messages of the book surrounds the biases of health science and research which include mostly or entirely male subjects in their studies.
3 minute video
This video provides information about how social determinants of health (SDOH), the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, influence health outcomes and shape our daily lives.
Also see: Disparities & Health Equity (2 minute video)
4 minute video
This video explains health equity and the interconnected factors that contribute to health inequities and health disparities.
By Institute of Medicine
Racial and ethnic disparities in health care are known to reflect access to care and other issues that arise from differing socioeconomic conditions. There is, however, increasing evidence that even after such differences are accounted for, race and ethnicity remain significant predictors of the quality of health care received.
In Unequal Treatment, a panel of experts documents this evidence and explores how persons of color experience the healthcare environment.
book by Bill Russell
Bill Russell reflects on the enduring impact of racism in America, arguing against the notion that racial issues are merely a part of the country's past. He emphasizes that racial inequalities and injustices are not relics but ongoing challenges that continue to shape the lives and experiences of Black Americans today. Through personal anecdotes and historical analysis, Russell makes a compelling case for recognizing and addressing the systemic nature of racism to move towards a more equitable society.
The Survey of Immigrants, conducted by KFF in partnership with the Los Angeles Times during Spring 2023, examines the diversity of the U.S. immigrant experience. It is the largest and most representative survey of immigrants living in the U.S. to date.
NPR Podcast [16 minutes]
Ruchika Tulshyan says she has had her name mispronounced her whole life. And, for most of that time, she didn't correct people. Listen to her interview about how correct pronunciation is one of the subtle ways to get engaged and stand up for communities.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Differences in the social and religious cultures of Arab Americans and American Muslims raise challenges to healthcare access and delivery. These challenges go far beyond language to encompass entire world views, concepts of health, illness, and recovery and even death. We offer insight into the behaviors, requirements, and preferences of Arab American and American Muslim patients, especially as they apply to women's health.
Video. [2 minutes]
Instructor Abby Rincon describes the importance of cultural humility for Community Health worker success with clients.
Video. [18 minutes]
Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
book by James O'Connell
Dr. O'Connell's collection of stories and essays, written during thirty years of caring for homeless persons in Boston, gently illuminates the humanity and raw courage of those who struggle to survive and find meaning and hope while living on the streets.
Video. [16 minutes]
Most women experience sexism and harassment on a regular basis—daily acts that are often ignored. With her Everyday Sexism Project, writer Laura Bates wanted to give women an outlet to speak up. In this fascinating talk, Laura talks about her inspiring initiative.
Article, USA Today
When people talk about systemic racism, they mean systemic: impacting institutions, policies and outcomes across all aspects of Black Americans' lives.
Video. [30 minutes]
Understanding and addressing the impact of racism is essential to building equity in health systems and health care policy. The October 2023 issue of Health Affairs covers the theme of Tackling Structural Racism In Health with a panel of experts to discuss how structural racism manifests in health and health care, including the intersection of policy, technology, and lived experience.
book by Ibram X. Kendi
Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.
book by Dee Brown
Written in 1970 and still relevant, Brown highlights multiple tribes across America and how federal and state governments have systemically attacked them with physical violence, discriminatory laws, and broken treaties.
book by Isabel Wilkerson
Isabel Wilkerson brilliantly explores past social caste systems, and how America today continues to be ruled by a caste system, and how we may begin to heal and move forward.
book by Anneliese A. Singh
Offers practical tools to help you navigate daily and past experiences of racism, challenge internalized negative messages and privileges, and handle feelings of stress and shame.
book by St. Clair Detrick-Jules
A collection of empowering stories and captivating photos. My Beautiful Black Hair celebrates an aspect of Black femininity—natural hair—and embraces it as a central part of Black womanhood.
book by Linda Villarosa
Villarosa exposes a multitude of systemic factors baked into the American healthcare system which cause Black Americans to "live sicker and die quicker".
Article
New research makes it increasingly clear that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially.
book by Rebecca Skloot
Cells taken from Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman, without knowledge or consent, have been a critical tool in medical research for more than sixty years. Skloot gives voice to the person behind these cells and her family.
Video. [8 minutes]
Kristen Silberstein, Vice President of Patient Engagement and Chief Experience Officer at Holy Name Medical Center, talks with Steve Adubato about ways healthcare facilities are developing relationships with the individuals as well as the communities they serve.
Video. [2 minutes]
The foundation of a successful physician-patient relationship is the building of trust. What helps build this trust? Along with medical knowledge and diagnostic acumen, what else do patients expect from their doctors? Hear directly from patients on what they value most from their physicians.
Article
More Black Americans say health outcomes for Black people in the United States have improved over the past 20 years than say outcomes have worsened, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey. A majority of Black adults also say that their most recent experiences with the health care system have been positive. Here are five key facts about Black Americans’ attitudes about and experiences with health care, based on the 2021 Center survey.
Article
A new study authored by Stanford Medicine 25’s Donna Zulman and Abraham Verghese shares five practices they say can “enhance physician presence and meaningful connection with patients in the clinical encounter.”
Their research is published in JAMA
Article by Nkem Chukwumerije
The words that clinicians use with their patients make a difference. They can help or hinder efforts to reduce the
disparities in health care. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to strive to use inclusive language and avoid labeling people. This article offers six principles of inclusive communications that clinicians should keep in mind.
Guide by NYC Health
Every patient is different; you can help by choosing and tailoring hypertension control messages and approaches to your patients’ individual needs. This coaching guide offers ways to discuss hypertension management and provides strategies to overcome barriers to change.
book by Raquel Reichard
Find more than 100 exercises to radically choose to put yourself first. Whether you need a quick pick-me-up in the middle of the day, you’re working through feelings of burnout, or you need to process a microaggression, this book is for you.
Podcast. [24 minutes]
In this episode of the StoryCorps podcast, we take you back to the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, when police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. These raids were common in those days, but on this particular night, when patrons fought back, the world took notice.
The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People amplifies the experiences of more than 28,000 LGBTQ young people ages 13 to 24 across the United States.
book by Anneliese A. Singh and Diane Ehrensaft
Discover how to cultivate the key components of resilience: holding a positive view of yourself and your abilities; knowing
your worth and cultivating a strong sense of self-esteem; effectively utilizing resources; being assertive and creating a
support community; fostering hope and growth within yourself, and finding the strength to help others.
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