From Disparity to Equity

The need to move from health disparities to health equity in Forsyth County is important to community health and well-being. The issue is currently being addressed by a number of organizations including the Healthy Community Coalition of Forsyth County, a community advocacy group. One of the focus areas of the group is the link between neighborhood characteristics and health disparities. The group works with the City-County Planning Board to ensure that development in minority neighborhoods positively impacts the health of residents.

The Center of Excellence for the Elimination of Health Disparities at Winston-Salem State University has a mission to improve minority health outcomes and eliminate disparities within the community through research, education and community outreach. The Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity associated with Wake Forest University focuses on achieving health equity by moving scientific discovery to action.

At the state level, the Healthy Environments Collaborative has been established as a partnership between the Departments of Transportation, Commerce, Environmental and Natural Resources, and Health and Human Services. They have been meeting since 2006 to do policy analysis that will better align their efforts, provide technical assistance and develop tools for local officials. Also, a state-funded marketing effort, Share Your World, seeks to inform citizens of the opportunity to influence decisions made about the physical environment around them.