Dear Community Members,
At the Health Disparities Institute (HDI), we know there is much to be done when it comes to addressing racial inequity in Connecticut. As one of the most racially segregated states in the country, inequity is pervasive across health, wealth, employment and educational outcomes in Connecticut. However, Connecticut is also rich in resources. According to US News and World Reports it is one of the 10 wealthiest states.
Since its founding in 2011, HDI’s upmost priority has been to address health inequity across the state through initiatives such as the Boys and Men of Color Alliance. We want to ensure all Connecticut residents have the chance to benefit from the resources our state has to offer. In alignment with these commitments, our team has been hard at work to establish new goals for the institute and the work that we do with our partners. Our goals fall into three interconnected priorities areas and are as follows.
(1) Become the go-to place in Connecticut for community driven health equity research and action.
(2) Catalyze systems change at the organizational, municipal, and state levels to address racism.
(3) Provide applied educational experiences that advance health equity and further critical consciousness building for learners at all levels.
Personally, I am very excited about the efforts underway in Connecticut to advance health equity and economic opportunity. I have been impressed by the level of commitment in Connecticut to undoing the harmful effects of racism on people, organizations, and communities. Together, we can rethink how our systems operate and how to rebuild them to work better for all Connecticut residents. Through collaborative partnerships we can implement meaningful research and policy as well as sustainable programs to reduce the gap between people and opportunities to ultimately eliminate racial inequity in health.
Sincerely,
Linda Sprague Martinez, PhD
Director, Health Disparities Institute