County Leaders Recognize Racism as a Public Health Crisis

This week, CHEAC was joined by the County Behavioral Health Directors Association (CBHDA), County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA), and the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (CAPH) in declaring racism a public health crisis. As a group, the organizations join local governments around California and throughout the country, including the boards of supervisors in at least nine California counties, in acknowledging the historic and ongoing harms of systemic racism.

The statement by CHEAC and fellow county organizations comes as black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities continuously bear the weight of coping with a confluence of individual personal, as well as broader cultural, traumatic events all rooted in systemic racism. The statement outlines actionable steps for counties to address racism and racial inequality throughout California.

The joint statement is available here.