Addressing health disparities through voter engagement

Although the public’s essential capacity for self-rule in the United States lies in the power of the ballot, there exist many barriers to voting, particularly for marginalized communities. These barriers cultivate less representative government and less inclusive public policy. Nonprofit and private health organizations, and in particular community health centers and safety-net hospitals, can help marginalized voting-eligible individuals overcome barriers to the ballot. 
 

Creating political will for action on health equity: Lessons for policy actors

Despite growing evidence on the social determinants of health and health equity, political action has not been commensurate. Little is known about how political will operates to enact pro-equity policies or not. This paper examines how political will for pro-health equity policies is created through analysis of public policy in multiple sectors.  

Civic engagement and civic infrastructure to advance health equity

There is increasing evidence that civic participation - from voting to volunteering - is a social driver of health. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Population Health Improvement convened a workshop to explore the links between civics and health; between measures of civic engagement and quantitative and qualitative measures of health equity; and the roles that civic infrastructure, narrative, and media play in shaping civic engagement.