Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

 

Every human deserves the basic right to health. Racism is a public health crisis.

As an organization created to improve the well-being of all residents across Central Oregon,

the Central Oregon Health Council (COHC) has a responsibility to promote and protect

that right to health. We know that health equity will never be achieved unless we address

the racism and inequality resulting from biased policies, practices, and ideologies

that helped shape Oregon and continue today.

People of color and tribal nations experience pervasive and deep health disparities because

of historical and ongoing colonialism and the invalidation of cultural and traditional

health practices. By focusing on race, we create a framework to address the impacts of

further inequalities experienced by people who are also marginalized by ability, sexual

orientation, gender, and immigration status and people who live at the intersection of these

and other identities. These persisting health inequities threaten the principles and priorities

that the COHC was formed to address.

The Central Oregon Health Council is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in our

work culture, grant making, and community partnerships. This is essential to achieving our

purpose to build an equitable and integrated health ecosystem that improves the well-being of

all Central Oregonians. As a community-led organization, we pledge to collaborate with our

partners to address the racial inequities within our communities and organizations.

 

The COHC commits to:

● engaging and learning with our diverse Central Oregon communities, especially

populations who have been excluded, underrepresented, and underserved

● listening to and elevating the voices of communities who are most impacted by our work

co-creating with communities throughout our region to achieve more inclusive

decision-making to meet their diverse needs

● applying a health equity analysis to build and revise our programs, policies, practices,

and grants to be more culturally responsive

● striving to provide regional leadership and advocacy for health equity through shared

governance and accountability with our Coordinated Care Organization, the Regional

Health Assessment, and the Regional Health Improvement Plan

● publicizing and referencing this commitment in all appropriate communications

● evaluating how we follow through on this Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and

Justice and publicly sharing both our successes and failures

 

We recognize we have a lot to learn and much work to do. We ask our partners, members, and

staff to support us, join hands with us, and hold us accountable to this commitment. 

 


Call to Action

The COHC calls on all its members, partners, and leaders to develop, adopt, and implement

similar commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Together, we must identify

meaningful solutions to dismantle structural racism and other forms of oppression. We must

ensure every person has the freedom to be healthy, to be safe, and to thrive.

Learn More

To find out more about the equity work of the Central Oregon Health Council, visit the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee. To learn about diversity and equity events and activities in the region or to share your own, please visit COHC’s JEDI calendar here.

Discover more about the demographics of COHC’s Board of Directors and partners here. COHC has collected REALD and SOGI data to improve transparency and accountability in its work toward a more inclusive and equitable community.

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