Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Racial Equity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
SFHSS adopts Phase 1 Racial Equity Action Plan after discussion on data and staff focus
Summary
The Health Service System Board endorsed a Phase 1 Racial Equity Action Plan focused on internal staff culture, leadership development and recruitment/retention, following presentations on social determinants of health and robust discussion; the measure passed with one dissenting vote.
The San Francisco Health Service System Board endorsed the department’s Phase 1 Racial Equity Action Plan after two linked presentations on social determinants of health (SDOH) and racial equity.
Derek Choi, senior health planner, framed SDOH as the social, economic and environmental factors that drive health outcomes and presented data mapping HSS membership to areas of deprivation; he reported that about 17,000 HSS members live in neighborhoods with Area Deprivation Index scores of 5 or greater. Choi argued the data should inform benefit design, communications and vendor contracts.
Senior Health Program Planner Leticia Pagan presented the Phase 1 Racial Equity Action Plan, which concentrates on internal organizational culture, equitable leadership and workforce recruitment/retention. Pagan described the plan as aligning with the city’s Office of Racial Equity (ORE) Phase 1 framework and the Government Alliance for Race and Equity (GARE) guidance. “Our department’s racial equity work begins internally, centering inquiry, education, and staff voice,” Pagan said.
The board discussion included supportive remarks emphasizing whole-person, data-driven approaches and practical program alignment with plan and vendor contracts. Commissioner Breslin expressed concern about the plan’s emphasis on race and asked whether evidence shows staff misconduct or discrimination; Commissioners and staff replied that the plan is focused on organizational transformation and addressing systemic opportunity gaps (promotion, outreach, recruitment) rather than alleging individual wrongdoing. General counsel Eric Rapoport told the board he reviewed the materials and said there was nothing in the plan that calls out individual staff members as racist or otherwise accused of misconduct.
A motion to adopt the Phase 1 Racial Equity Action Plan was moved and seconded. After a brief public comment period (one caller suggested civil-service hiring-rule reform), the board approved the plan by voice vote; the meeting record shows the plan passed with one commissioner voting nay.
Next steps: staff will submit the Phase 1 report to the Office of Racial Equity, work with health plans and city partners to identify measurable outcomes, and begin implementing the staff-facing initiatives identified for 2021–2023.
