SPHHS and WMHEN Announce Health Equity Webinar Series

SPHHS and WMHEN wordmark

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) and its partners in the Western Massachusetts Health Equity Network (WMHEN) have announced a series of virtual conversations related to racism as a public health crisis. The webinar series replaces its biannual in-person Health Equity Summit, which has been rescheduled to September 24, 2021, and will cover topics such as COVID-19 and health inequities, the digital divide and public health, reproductive health justice, and intergenerational conversations on the future and equity.

“Racism is a public health crisis — manifesting as police brutality and the disparities made more explicit by COVID-19, which has disproportionately affected communities of color and has further illuminated the deeply rooted structural racism in our country,” says Risa Silverman, director of the SPHHS Office of Public Health Practice and Outreach. “This series will delve into the underlying factors behind these disparities in exposure and care, the long-standing barriers to healthcare that communities of color continue to experience, and begin conversations as to what we can do collectively to address them.”

The new health equity series officially kicked off on Aug. 12 with a webinar on “Race and Health Equity Tools for Local Governments and Organizations” featuring speakers Phyllis Meadows of the Kresge Foundation, Paulo Gomes of the Massachusetts Public Health Association Policy Council and Catherine Ratté of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. The webinar introduced participants to racial equity impact assessments, declarations of racism as a public health emergency, racial equity action plans, health and equity screens and other tools cities and organizations are using. A recording of the session is available here.

Upcoming conversations include:

  • Calling In Not Calling Out (Sept. 23, 12-1 p.m.), featuring speaker Loretta Ross, visiting associate professor, program for the study of women and gender at Smith College
  • Digital Divide (Oct. 21, 12-1 p.m.) featuring speakers Frank Robinson ‘94PhD, vice president of public health and community relations at Baystate Health Systems, and Jim Ayres, vice president for programs and strategy at Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
  • Is It Time to Consider Using Human Rights Standards to Look at Health? (Oct. 28, 12-1 p.m.), featuring speaker Loretta Ross, visiting associate professor, program for the study of women and gender at Smith College
  • What Can Public Health Practice Learn About Reproductive Justice? (Nov. 18, 12-1 p.m.), featuring speaker Loretta Ross, visiting associate professor, program for the study of women and gender at Smith College

Brenda D. Evans, coordinator and community research liaison with the SPHHS Center for Community Health Equity Research and co-chair of the WMHEN Conversations, is excited to host Loretta Ross, activist and co-founder of the Reproductive Justice Movement, for three of these conversations. The talks, held in partnership with the New England Public Health Training Center, will address human rights and public health, reproductive health justice, and white supremacy.

“The series of conversations are needed and timely,” says Evans. “I am very excited to listen and learn from Loretta Ross - she is one of my sheroes!”

Along with the upcoming webinars, the WMHEN is working with communities to develop an Intergenerational Conversations project focusing on creating and working towards a collective vision for a more just, equitable future. Intergenerational Conversations will ask the questions what is the world we want to live in, what does it look like, and how do we get there together? How can older generations support young people and those advocating for racial justice? 

If you are interested in participating in this conversation or to learn about the webinars planned, email Risa Silverman at risa@schoolph.umass.edu.

The WMHEN is a broad, cross-sectional coalition of Western MA community members and entities housed at the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Together, they work to advance health equity, address the social determinants of health and root causes of institutional and structural barriers to health.