Resources

The pandemic and ongoing protests for racial justice have focused the nation on the issue of systemic racism and its tragic impacts. The Confronting Racism initiative seeks to bring the Catholic health ministry together to take focused, effective action to root out racism by achieving health equity.

Health disparities and systemic racism have been debated and analyzed for decades. A wealth of resources exists analyzing the problem and possible solutions. Now is the time to act and be accountable for our efforts. Here are some resources that your organization can use to assess and strengthen your equity efforts, internally and in your communities.

Recommended:

Health Progress DEI Discussion Guide
Equitable Healthy Aging in Public Health Toolkit Report
Catholic Health Care Systems Make Comprehensive Commitment to Confronting Racism by Achieving Health Equity – Press Release | Read the Transcript
A Reflection on Equity Prayer Card
Minority Health Month Resources

Download a PDF of the Pledge
English | Spanish

CHA MEMBERS: Find resources to take action on the pledge (login required)

Podcasts

COVID-19 Vaccine Collaboratives

CHA is working to address vaccine hesitancy, promote vaccine awareness, and advocate for equitable distribution by partnering with other organizations that share these goals.

Prayers and Reflections

View Minority Health Month resources

Videos

Film Viewing of "Toxic: A Black Woman's Story," followed by a Panel Discussion

A 20-minute film, "Toxic; A Black Woman's Story," which shows a "day in the life" of a Black woman as she navigates the myriad stressors of a typical day and their effect on her pregnancy and her family.
Learn more about a special discount (CHA members only)
View the webinar recording (CHA members only)

View our full listing of virtual events

Systemic Racism: Understanding the Past to Change the Present

We Are Called to educate ourselves on the roots of systemic racism and its connection to health disparities today. Here are some recommended resources for associates, executives and boards.

Videos

Documents

The Groundwater Approach: Building a Practical Understanding of Structural Racism, Racial Equity Institute

Books

How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

Equitable Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines

Framework for Equitable Allocation of a COVID-19 Vaccine for Adoption by HHS, State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Authorities, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, October 2020
Vaccine Equity and Catholic Principles for the Common Good, Catholic Health Association
Vaccine Equity: Building Trust Among Communities of Color in the COVID-19 Era, Health Forward Foundation
THE CONVERSATION: Between Us, About Us. - a campaign to provide Black communities with credible information about the COVID-19 vaccines co-developed by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) and the Black Coalition Against COVID.

Exploring and Addressing the Disparate Impact of COVID-19 on Racial and Ethnic Minorities

The COVID Racial Data Tracker, The COVID Tracking Project
COVID-19 Racial Disparities in Testing, Infection, Hospitalization, and Death: Analysis of Epic Patient Data, Kaiser family Foundation
COVID-19: Response and Recovery Work, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, University of Wisconsin, Population Health Institute, School of Medicine and Public Health
COVID-19 Health Equity Resources, American Medical Association
Civil Rights and COVID-19, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Building Right and Just Relationships with the Community

Communities that are suffering from social and health inequities have historically been left out, often intentionally, of decisions that impact their health and well-being. As we reach out to them we must build trust as effective partners in efforts to change power structures and build capacity so these communities can bring about change in their neighborhoods. The following resources can help the Catholic health ministry take an equity-focused approach to community relationships:

Community Benefit - Community Engagement: Using the Evidence
Anchor Community Engagement Spectrum with Case Studies
Assessing Meaningful Community Engagement
CHA's Healing the Multitudes: Catholic Health Care's Commitment to Community Health resources
Community Benefit - 'Plan' For Building Right and Just Relationships
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity report
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Achieving Health Equity website

CHA Equity Webinar Series

This four-event webinar series looked at Catholic identity, other faith traditions, unconscious bias and discrimination in caregiver interactions—creating some uncomfortable as well as inspiring moments as leaders discussed building right and just relationships with our communities and advocating for change to end health disparities and systemic racism.