State-Of-Black-Oregon-2015

POLICY ACTIONSWe must strengthen the health of our communities bybuilding a community that makes healthy choices easier forBlack families.POLICY PRIORITIES:123Build healthy, vibrant and economicallyviable neighborhoods for BlackOregonians by:• Improving economic opportunity,access to adequate and affordabletransportation, safe and walkableneighborhoods, and healthy foodchoices• Targeting funding for programs thatimprove health outcomes, such asthose that seek to tackle high bloodpressure and diabetesEstablish mechanisms in all healthcareinstitutions to ensure goals thatprioritize improving healthcare accessfor those most affected by poor healthoutcomes.Create partnerships between educators,law enforcement, and health carepractitioners to improve the mentalhealth of Black Oregonians:• Apply a race equity lens andculturally competent strategies topolice training, trauma interventionservices and school mental healthservices4• Hold law enforcement and healthinstitutions accountable forimproving outcomes for the BlackcommunityBoost research funding that will identifystrategies for mitigating the welldocumentedshort- and long-termhealth effects of chronic stress and dailyracist microaggressions, including:• Establishing metrics for improvingworkplace and healthcareenvironments and strategies foremployers to shift workplace cultureand improve the well-being of allemployees• Instituting evaluation and outcomebasedsurveys for healthcare settingsto ensure that those accessingservices feel safe and receiveculturally proficient care• Building a legal framework to holdemployers/employees accountablefor workplace microaggressions90