Health Equity Considerations in Emergencies

Health equity

Health equity is when everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires equitable access to and distribution of resources. When policies, programs, and systems that support health are equitable, poor health outcomes can be reduced, health disparities can be prevented, and the whole of society benefits.

Disaster preparedness and relief personnel may encounter individuals who belong to several groups that historically have experienced health inequities. Providing equitable and nondiscriminatory care to families throughout emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts may help minimize health disparities during and following an emergency.

In particular, families with young children and pregnant and lactating women may have unique situations that require special considerations during emergencies. Emergency preparedness and response teams can take action to help achieve health equity when working with these families.

General preparedness and relief efforts

• Avoid generalizing about a community:
  • Population groups are not all alike in their health and living circumstances.
  • Race and ethnicity does not represent someone's socioeconomic status, and vice versa.
  • Diversity within and across communities varies with history, culture, norms, attitudes, behaviors, lived experience, and many other factors.
• Policies and implementation strategies for disaster relief that recognize and respect the diversity of the community are important. Consider the unique needs of the families affected by the emergency when developing interventions and communication strategies.
• Community engagement efforts can help strengthen cross-sector partnerships, ensure culturally and linguistically appropriate practices, include culturally appropriate community partners, build trust within communities, and promote social connection.
• Continue providing families with disability services before, during, and after public health emergencies. Ensure equal access to public health services for people with disabilities.
• Not every family is the same, and some children are not being raised by their biological parents. Build flexibility into community guidance and public health communications to allow full participation for all caregivers.
• Ask open-ended questions such as "How have you been feeding your baby?" rather than questions that can be answered with yes or no, such as "Are you breastfeeding your baby?"
• Some people have experienced violence, abuse, and trauma, which can impact infant feeding practices. It is important to provide these families with qualified trauma-informed care, as well as access to privacy as needed. Hands-off lactation assistance may be preferred.
  • Learn more about the impact of trauma and the role of a trauma-informed approach during public health emergencies (video).

Language

Use non-stigmatizing, bias-free language. Consider the following when responding to emergencies:

• Use person-first language. For example, use "people experiencing homelessness" instead of "the homeless" and "person with diabetes" instead of "diabetic."
• Do not refer to people as their race and ethnicity, for example Blacks, Hispanics, Latinos, Whites. Preferred terms for specific racial and ethnic groups are:
  • American Indian or Alaska Native persons (identify by specific tribal affiliations when possible).
  • Asian persons.
  • Black or African American persons.
  • Hispanic or Latino persons.
  • Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander persons.
  • White persons.
  • People who identify with more than one race or ethnicity: people of more than one race and ethnicity.
• Ask which terms are preferred by the individuals being supported.
• Some families may have other preferred terminology for how they feed their babies, such as nursing.
• See preferred terms for select population groups and communities.

Health equity resources

CDC offers resources to assist health departments with their strategic planning to strengthen public health preparedness capabilities and help address health equity. A few key resources include:

Access and Functional Needs Toolkit
Framework to organize planning for broad groups of people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, recommended action steps, and noteworthy practices from the field.

Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER)
Helps local, state, regional, or federal officials conduct a rapid needs assessment before or following an emergency. The assessment helps determine the health status, basic needsr of a community in a quick and low-cost manner. It can also be used to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of a community.

Disability and Health Emergency Preparedness
Resources for public health professionals, emergency personnel, and communities to create emergency preparedness and response plans that are inclusive of people with disabilities.

Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery tribal support
Information for tribal governments and their partners to serve tribal communities more effectively. Includes consideration of the unique cultural and traditional needs of those communities.

Planning for an Emergency: Strategies for Identifying and Engaging At-Risk Groups
Examples of approaches and tools that can help emergency managers identify, plan for, and assist at-risk populations.

Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication
Helps public health professionals, particularly health communicators, ensure their communication products and strategies adapt to the specific cultural, linguistic, environmental, and historical situation of each population or audience of focus.

Learn more

Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Toolkit

Public Health Preparedness Resources