San Francisco Department of Public Health launches Office of Health Equity to make race‑conscious reforms
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Summary
Dr. Ayanna Bennett outlined a new Office of Health Equity to coordinate racial‑equity work across DPH, add staff, establish governance, and scale programs that have narrowed disparities (including hypertension control for Black patients). Commissioners asked for measurable dashboards and written follow‑up.
Dr. Ayanna Bennett, newly named director of the Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity, told the commission that the office will consolidate existing equity work, add staff and formal governance, and focus on systemic policy changes to reduce racial disparities in health.
"You already know that equity is a true north," Bennett said, outlining a three‑pronged mission: health equity, workforce and workplace equity, and direct programming such as HOPE SF and a community doula program. She said the office adds two full‑time equivalents to existing staff and will also support equity leads in each DPH section.
Bennett described an infrastructure that includes an equity governing council and an equity leadership team to set priorities, align departments and approve policy recommendations. Training plans will align with the city’s Human Rights Commission and the Office of Racial Equity, and a champions program will provide about five hours per month for staff to learn and work on implementation projects. Bennett said the first‑year champions goal of 50 applicants was exceeded, with roughly 70 applicants across sections including IT and finance.
The presentation emphasized measurable outcomes and disaggregated data. Bennett cited the Black/African‑American Health Initiative’s impact on hypertension control, which she said rose from roughly 53% among Black patients in 2015 to approximately 67–70% in recent counts, narrowing the gap with the general population. She also noted youth clinic chlamydia screening rates near 85% and a new doula program that has supported 15 births since it began deliveries this summer.
Commissioners pressed for specifics on metrics, dashboards and accountability. Commissioner [name recorded in transcript as] Jurado asked how the office will know its policies and practices have made a difference; Bennett said the office will adopt process and outcome measures, including baseline questions in staff engagement surveys and targeted process metrics (for example, calls and case‑closure procedures in maternal‑child programs). She pledged written follow‑up and a reportback with draft dashboards.
Grant Colfax, the department director, said DPH’s new HR director Michael Brown will work closely with the office to align workforce efforts with equity goals.
Bennett said the office will use the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) framework to guide a multi‑stage change process — normalize, organize and operationalize — and stressed community‑centered decision making and data disaggregation in every program.
The commission asked Bennett to return with baseline dashboards and suggested recurring updates; Bennett agreed to provide additional materials in writing and to present progress to the commission in future meetings.
