In a recent article, Sandro Galea, MD, DrPh, wrote, “There can be no health without social justice.” Recent events underscore the persistent, deeply entrenched inequities undermining the health of vulnerable populations and communities of color. This panel pulls together thought leaders from across the fields of community and population health to discuss the root causes of inequity and what is needed to truly transform health in Texas. The discussion will offer practical guidance for working internally and alongside community and government partners to advance equity, social justice, and systemic change.

Cross-sector partnerships are more critical than ever as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens the health and broader social systems of communities across the country.

This is especially dire for individuals with complex health and social needs who may already have difficulty accessing needed services. Presenters will share actionable best practices for collaboration in this environment and reflect on opportunities for future structural change.

These uniquely challenging times call for novel approaches to providing essential services, protecting vulnerable populations, and fostering community resilience.

This discussion highlights organizations that are stepping up to the challenge in navigating the current health crisis and addressing the impact of COVID-19.

Effective Health Communication is essential during a public health crisis. When done right, information can be shared and exchanged in an inspiring and dynamic way. This interactive presentation will explore tools that can empower individuals, populations, and communities to respond appropriately to public health issues.

COVID-19 hasn’t just been a health crisis. It’s been an information and narrative crisis. When the scientists don’t even know what’s happening yet, or agree with each other about the proper response, the role of journalists in explaining the pandemic to the public becomes even more crucial, and more challenging. Throw into the mix political polarization, racial disparities, massive protests in the streets, and the presidential election, and the job of journalists becomes incredibly interesting and complex. In this panel we’ll speak to working journalists about the many different and overlapping aspects of covering COVID-19 in Texas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced extraordinary shocks to our food system, impacting access and affordability across the supply chain. The disruption poses new challenges to families and schools, with marginalized communities disproportionately experiencing the consequences.

The school system serves a critical role in addressing food insecurity. In this conversation, panelists will share ways to support processes within and outside of the school system as it pertains to ensuring food security. Panelists will highlight the various roles within a community to create sustainable food access for families.

Action is needed to help those most affected by COVID-19 to prepare for subsequent waves and to address the long-standing issue of public health inequities.

What advances are needed in policy, advocacy, and education to address these issues? How do we engage and educate the community and what is the role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in this process? Panelists will discuss how to empower CHWs to amplify their role in emergent public health crises.

Since COVID-19 hit the United States, so many families, communities, and organizations have come together to support each other and share the universal message that we are all in this together.

It is essential for governments and communities to work together more effectively, not only in public health crises, but also to deal with health equity, food insecurity, education, and other looming challenges that similarly require coordinated, large-scale responses.

In this conversation, epidemiologists will share an update on what we should know about COVID-19 across Texas. During a time that is filled with abundant, continuously evolving information, it’s important to hear from experts.

This overview of COVID-19 will provide tools to each of us in our respective roles to help us understand the data and how to make informed decisions.

The word coalition is frequently used in many sectors and generally takes shape as a collaborative effort towards a common goal. In this conversation, panelists will share different perspectives on how they define a coalition, how one is formed, and how coalitions address social determinants of health.

Join It's Time Texas on Facebook Live to learn more about SNAP eligibility guidelines, the community partner program and how to find new information on the website.

Acompañe a It’s Time Texas en Facebook en vivo para aprender más sobre las normas de elegibilidad de SNAP, el programa de socios comunitarios y cómo encontrar nueva información en el sitio web.

Health care systems are increasingly being called upon to address the social and environmental factors impacting their patients' health. However, evidence to guide implementation is still limited, as are mechanisms to fund this work.

Four leaders will discuss different approaches to create sustainable initiatives that address patients’ social needs. They will also lay out the reasons funding this work is challenging, and how their projects are navigating these challenges.

In the face of uncertainty and constantly changing information, we will learn more about where to access critical services across the state, including food banks, connecting to wrap-around services, and contacting the right people to assist you. 

Ante la incertidumbre y la información en constante cambio, aprenderemos más sobre dónde acceder a servicios críticos en todo el estado, incluidos los bancos de alimentos, cómo conectarse a servicios integrales y cómo contactar a las personas adecuadas para ayudarlo.

In the past year, many agencies and institutions have developed strategies and services that can address urgent mental health challenges that impact children and their families in Texas.

In this session, panelists will outline some strategies and services that were developed, discuss some of the challenges and needs faced due to COVID-19 and identify ways that clinicians, coordinators, schools and families can tap into these services.

Uncertainty is the theme of 2020, and its consequences are directly affecting our mental health. Whether or not previous diagnoses existed, this pandemic is generating a new set of concerns. Experts point to increased feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness.

Panelists will discuss the current reality of mental health in our society and what actions we must consider now and in the future.

Cultural competency is a developmental process that evolves over an extended period. Both individuals and organizations are at various levels of awareness, knowledge and skills along the cultural competence continuum. Building healthier communities requires culturally competent health professionals equipped to address the unique cultural differences that affect health literacy.

This interactive session will explore the strategies and tactics for building cultural competency by introducing frameworks for critical reflection and consideration.

Resilience is commonly defined as the ability to quickly recover from challenges. It’s a skill we each develop throughout our life in the face of significant stressors. As challenging of a year we are experiencing, it’s critical to spend some time discussing our collective paths of resilience. Panelists will highlight the significance of finding opportunities to cultivate resilience within communities and offer insight into how we can contribute to enhancing our resilience.

Texas has its share of big cities, smaller towns, and rural areas. Often the differences are simplified to urban and rural, with rural communities viewed as lacking relative to the more urban areas, and emphasis is placed on the shortage of resources.

This session will help build a more complete picture of the variation in communities throughout Texas. This panel will showcase community health practice in four communities in rural and less populated areas across the state.

Access to healthy foods is a critical social determinant of health. Health care systems and charitable food systems across the state are partnering to identify and address the needs of food insecure individuals.

Four professionals representing health care, food banks, and hunger relief networks will discuss how food banks and health care are partnering together and with social services to support the health of Texans. They will also discuss challenges related to working across sectors, assessing outcomes, and funding.

How can data unite Texans to transform health for our state? Listen to Secretary Margaret Spellings, president and CEO of Texas 2036, a data-driven long-term planning non-profit, discuss what their research shows are the most important health issues facing our state today.

Learn how Texas compares to other state and what the health data shows are the most pressing issues for our state to get right so the people of our state live their healthiest lives. If a conversation about how the state of our health and how it links to our prosperity and opportunities in the future is important to you, listen in as Secretary Spellings talks about how Texas health care leaders, businesses and the public can work together to make sure Texas is the best place to live and work through our bicentennial and beyond.