[Excerpt from NBC Connecticut news story by Julia Skrobak, December 15, 2021]
The state's Office of Health Strategy has announced a new partnership to help eliminate health inequities. This is a huge collaboration between the state, local organizations and even federal groups. Connecticut was one of 10 states added to an initiative called "Strategie to Repair Equity and Transform Community Health," known as STRETCH.
The Office of Health Strategies says it's an initiative that gives them a leg up on work they've already been doing for years.
"What they are doing is building on a level of infrastructure funding for public health that we haven't seen in quite some time. And their goal is to really drive health equity into communities and community-led initiatives," Vicki Veltri, executive director for OHS said.
"The idea here is to build, take those health enhancement communities, make sure they have the level of infrastructure they need, the equity, expertise, that they need to ensure equity is driven into those interventions they pursue at the state level, and to help build a sustainability model for them," she added.
The OHS identified nine communities around the state that could use some help. That's where they're finding disparities with everything from maternal mortality to food insecurity.
According to a report by DataHaven, the rates of diabetes in Connecticut are higher among Black people - around 14% higher - than the white population.
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