Data to Improve Community Conditions Shaped by Structural Racism

Overview

<p>The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to building a Culture of Health where everyone in America has a fair and just opportunity to live the healthiest life possible. But the current reality is that gaps in opportunities for health and well-being across neighborhoods and communities are large, persistent, and increasing. To achieve health equity, RWJF works to identify and remove the barriers that create such disparities. With this current opportunity, RWJF is building on its earlier effort to provide support for datarelated work on timely issues within communities, believing that such support is critical for building data capacity in communities to advance an equitable future.</p> <p>Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care.</p> <p>Equity is an important consideration in the process of how data are collected and, ultimately, in who gets to interpret, disseminate and leverage data to take action. People most affected by racial, economic, and geographic inequities in health and well-being need to be able to access, interpret, and contribute data to assess structural inequities in their communities. Also, they should have the opportunity to participate in decision-making about how to address barriers and design solutions to improve community health based on that data.</p> <p>To provide local leaders of community change the information they need, local organizations with relevant expertise can be collaborators to create new data; facilitate accessing and interpreting data; and help with communication of data about community conditions and health equity.</p> <p>RWJF seeks to fund organizations that will meaningfully engage with community members to address the issues that matter to the community. Organizations should collaborate with community members to define questions of interest; determine what data and analysis are needed; collect, analyze, and interpret data; share data in accessible formats; and/or translate findings for local audiences.</p>