The Race and Health Equity Resource Guide was developed by our Board's Race & Health Equity Committee. We continue to add new resources. Our hope is that it will serve not only as a resource for the board and staff but also as a resource for external partners. Read below how Victoria Ramos has used one of the resources.

The White Dominant Culture and Something Different worksheet is designed for workplaces to examine their culture and norms. The worksheet was adapted for ACCE from an adaptation by Partners for Collaborative Change based on “White Supremacy Culture” By Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones, for large, majority-white environmental organizations, using interviews with staff and partners of these organizations.  

For many, the term “White supremacy” conjures extreme images of groups like the Ku Klux Klan or the shooter in Buffalo. However, Racial Equity Tools defines White supremacy culture as “the dominant, unquestioned standards of behavior and ways of functioning embodied by the vast majority of institutions in the United States. These standards may be seen as mainstream, dominant cultural practices..." White supremacy culture (interchangeable with "White dominate culture") can be subtle and difficult to perceive as "it is indistinguishable from what we might call U.S. culture norms".

Tell us about a resource you have used to advance anti-racism and build a more inclusive culture in your workplace.

Join us for a webinar on Friday, June 24, 2022 from 12:00-1:15pm hosted by Wanda Givens, featuring Michael Scott from the Center for Black Health and Equity and Doris Cullen from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. African Americans suffer disproportionately in almost all categories of health disparities. This presentation will delve into the contributing factors of African American health disparities including menthol-flavored tobacco and how systemic racism, which will provide context to the cumulative effects of racism over centuries, has set the playing field today that we are all operating on – how it shows up in our lives, wealth and health – using tobacco as a medium for the story. Learn more and register.

Our Health Impact Assessment about the state’s current Criminal Offender Record Information system (CORI) revealed that we need easier and faster ways to seal records as soon as the law allows, rather than waiting several months and having to retain a lawyer. A bill before the MA Legislature (S.1037/H.1763 An Act for Easier, Greater Access to CORI Sealing), would require the Commissioner of Probation to automatically seal criminal and juvenile records after the applicable waiting periods without delay. This administrative process is a public health issue because too many of our neighbors are losing opportunities for housing and jobs due to unnecessarily slow-moving paperwork in the CORI system, and that results in poor health.

PHIWM works with community coalitions to identify state-level policy changes needed at the state level to advance health equity in Western MA. Now is the time to make your voice heard by contacting your State Senator and/or State Representative.

Questions? Contact PHIWM’s Data to Policy Action Director Andrea Freeman

In light of recent debates about Roe v. Wade and the leaked draft Supreme Court opinion, Executive Director Jessica Collins and Board Member Liz Dineen, CEO of YWCA of Western MA, reflect on the implications for Massachusetts. Read the full reflection.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. It commemorates the day in 1865 that Union Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and announced the Civil War had ended and all enslaved people were free.

Did you know your health is influenced by your home? Certain housing conditions such as lead paint contribute to health problems and can be harmful to child development.

Check out the Lead Poisoning Prevention Podcast hosted by Karlos Reyes, a Community Health Worker at Square One. Learn about the health impacts of lead, equity implications, legal requirements, as well as resources to address lead in your home. Podcasts are available on Spotify and YouTube.

Learn more about healthy homes.

The City of Springfield provides funding to reduce lead-based paint hazards for income-eligible households that include a child under six or a pregnant woman. The program is available city-wide for both owner-occupied and rental units.

A licensed lead abatement contractor will perform the lead abatement work, which will result in a Letter of Full Deleading Compliance (LOFDC) for the eligible units.

413Cares has a new partnership with the Alliance for Digital Equity, an organization that helps bridge the digital divide for Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties. Searching for digital resources on 413Cares is easier now with a new category in the top navigation menu listed as Digital Resources!

Learn more about our partnership and share digital resources in western MA related to:

Tiffany Rufino and the Beat the Odds youth advisory group were featured in a recent newsletter from the Massachusetts Office of Problem Gambling. Tiffany recently participated in Mayor Sarno’s Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month Proclamation event alongside Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris and other representatives from local mental health organizations. Read more.

On June 10th, the MA Department of Public Health released updated guidance regarding the use of masks in MA. Effective July 1, the new guidance advises that masks indoors are optional for most individuals, regardless of vaccination status. MA residents have ready access to vaccines, rapid tests, and therapeutics – all the resources needed to prevent severe illness. Read the press release.

Masking still is a helpful tool in preventing the spread of COVID, and individuals can personally choose to wear them. Masking is still required in several locations, including public transportation, health care facilities, day care programs, and home health workers.

Find updated COVID-19 isolation and quarantine guidance for the following groups:

For the remainder of June, you can get vaccinated or boosted and receive up to a $100 grocery gift card when you go to the clinic at Springfield Technology Community College. There is no limit to the number of gift cards a family can receive, so if a parent brings 3 children to get vaccinated, they will receive $300.

Visit the Western MA COVID-19 Data Dashboard for the latest COVID-19 data for the region. It's updated every Friday.