July 2022
As part of the Community-Centered Health initiative, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation supports the development of a regular news and resource roundup. If you do not want to receive this newsletter, you can change your subscription preferences by following the link at the end of this message.
Tools, Reports, and Resources
RESOURCES FOR COLLABORATION AND POWER SHARING BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES & COMMUNITY POWER-BUILDING ORGANIZATIONS – Resources
Human Impact Partners has released resources to build internal capacity and lay the groundwork for partnership, tips for establishing trust-based relationships with community power building organization partners, and tools and practices for sharing power. Partnerships have deep potential to shift structures and policies to transform the material conditions in our communities. as well as to build power and support peoples’ movements for health equity and justice. This suite of resources provides foundational, step-by-step support for health departments, other government agencies, and community power building organizations working together to redistribute and build power. Learn more.
LIFE EXPECTANCY BY COUNTY, RACE, AND ETHNICITY IN THE USA, 2000-19: A SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS OF HEALTH DISPARITIES – Article & Toolkit
The Lancet has recently published a systematic analysis on life expectancy by county, race, and ethnicity in the USA, 2000 - 2019. There are large and persistent disparities in life expectancy among racial–ethnic groups in the U.S., but the extent to which these patterns vary geographically on a local scale is not well understood. This analysis estimated life expectancy for five racial–ethnic groups, in 3,110 U.S. counties over 20 years, to describe spatial–temporal variations in life expectancy and disparities between racial–ethnic groups. The toolkit also includes results for individual counties on Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s U.S. Health Map, as well as a video news release. Learn more.
STATE APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER CERTIFICATION Brief
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials has released a brief on Community Health Worker (CHW) certification. In this report, they define a CHW as a frontline public health professional that shares life experience, trust, compassion, cultural, and value alignment with the communities they serve. A growing number of states are developing or considering a certification program for CHWs. Such certification could serve as a powerful tool to define a clear scope of practice and competencies within the CHW workforce, create a more simplified path to recruitment, and create a shared vision for integrating CHWs into health care teams. A certification program may also chart a path to a more defined and stable career ladder for CHWs. Learn more.
NC HEALTH POLICY FORUM –Podcast
The North Carolina Medical Journal (NCMJ) has launched its first podcast. The NC Health Policy Forum is a platform for conversations about the health of North Carolinians for insiders and newcomers alike. Hosted by NCMJ Managing Editor Kaitlin Ugolik Phillips, the podcast facilitates connections between people from various sectors across the state who care about improving health. Season one focuses on non-medical drivers of health, guided by Healthy North Carolina 2030. Each 30-minute episode includes two interviews with experts and thought leaders and a five-minute policy analysis. Learn more.
THE FUTURE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH DATA DASHBOARD Article
The June edition of the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) features a paper, “The Future of the Public Health Data Dashboard,” by Nabarun Dasgupta and Farzana Kapadia. The authors explain that short, mobile-friendly videos and storytelling are powerful paradigms that reach large audiences and can help people retain knowledge longer. Learn more.
Upcoming Events
COMMUNITIES JOINED IN ACTION (CJA) NATIONAL CONFERENCE
September 19-20, 2022
New Orleans, LA
The CJA National Conference annually hosts more than 200 participants from across the country, including: community networks/coalitions, community-based organizations, hospital/health systems, public health, regional and local health collaboratives, safety-net organizations, health plans, community development corporations, city and county government, universities, philanthropy, housing, food systems, and community health advocates. CJA is on the ground in more than 1,000 communities across the country and has a track record of working toward success in large cities and small rural communities. After a two-year hiatus, the conference will be held in person. With a theme of "Bridging Communities to Achieve Equity for All," the 2022 National Conference will cover topics such as workforce, innovative initiatives, financing and sustainability, and partnering and community engagement. Learn more.
7TH ANNUAL NATIONAL SUMMIT ON THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
October 4-6, 2022
Minneapolis, MN
The Root Cause Coalition is accepting requests for proposals for the 7th Annual National Summit on the Social Determinants of Health. With this year's theme, Achieving Health Equity: What Are You Prepared To Do?, they are excited to welcome community and health care leaders from across the nation to discuss strategies and best practices in achieving health equity. Learn more.
AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION 2022 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPO
November 6-9, 2022
Boston, MA or Virtual
The theme for the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Annual Meeting is “150 Years of Creating the Healthiest Nation: Leading the Path Toward Equity.” APHA's Annual Meeting and Expo provides high-quality, science-based education, engaging networking opportunities, and cutting-edge resources to thousands of public health professionals from across the nation. The APHA Annual Meeting is scheduled to be an in-person event in Boston or virtual November 6-9, 2022. Learn more.
Featured Initiative
A CASE STUDY IN ANTI-RACIST ORGANIZING: CLOSING HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES IN GREENSBORO BY FOCUSING ON STRUCTURAL RACISM
The Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative (GHDC) is proud to announce the publication of an in-depth case study telling the story of how and why the GHDC was able to successfully resolve racial disparities in cancer treatment completion. The case study tells the story of the GHDC’s founding and how the group went on to conduct the National Cancer Institute-funded Accountability for Cancer Care through Undoing Racism and Equity (ACCURE) study which eliminated racial inequities in breast and lung cancer treatment outcomes. Results from the ACCURE study were published in the Journal of the National Medical Association. Further information about the ACCURE interventions are described in a chapter of the book Racism: Science & Tools for the Public Health Professional and on the GHDC website. The voices of several GHDC members, including Co-Chairs, Terence “TC” Muhammad and Kari Thatcher, and founding members Geni Eng and Jennifer Schaal, are featured in a teaching case study module called “Seeking Health Equity: Examining Racism as a Social Determinant of Health.” Learn more.
Funding & Additional Opportunities
BLUE CROSS NC FOUNDATION SEEKING TEAM MEMBER FOR LEARNING AND EVALUATION
Deadline: July 19, 2022
Blue Cross NC Foundation is seeking a colleague who will lead and manage learning and evaluation projects across the foundation while also supporting organizations and leaders changing systems and conditions to improve health equity in North Carolina. Learn more.
NORTH CAROLINA LOCAL NEWS LAB FUND GRANTS
Deadline: August 29, 2022
The North Carolina Local News Lab Fund at the North Carolina Community Foundation will open a new round of grant applications to invest in the existing network of trusted messengers and news organizations, new partners, and projects that meet emerging news and information needs in North Carolina’s marginalized communities. General operating grants of between $15,000 to $75,000 will be awarded to public charity nonprofit entities that serve North Carolina residents and their rapidly evolving information needs. General operating grants will provide organizations the flexibility they need to reinforce their capacity and respond to the current needs of their communities. For-profit organizations with appropriate fiscal sponsorship for a project with a charitable purpose are also eligible to apply. Learn more.
DUKE ENERGY FOUNDATION SOCIAL JUSTICE AND RACIAL EQUITY GRANTS
Deadline: August 31, 2022
The Duke Energy Foundation is committed to addressing systemic racism in North Carolina.This grant program will award $25,000 grants for general operating funds to North Carolina nonprofits dedicated to the fight for social justice and racial equity. Grants will empower nonprofits that are led by, and provide services to, communities of color. Learn more.
Not a subscriber? Sign Up to receive the Roundup in your inbox each month.
 For feedback or questions about this communication, contact Brian Edmonds at brian.edmonds@bcbsncfoundation.org. To unsubscribe, see the link below.


This is a publication of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North
Carolina Foundation.

For more information visit: