About the Office of Health Disparities

Contact Information

Email: disparities@utah.gov
Mailing Address: P.O.Box 141000, Salt Lake City, UT 84114

Staff

• Dulce A. Díez, MPH, MCHES, Director
• Christine Espinel, Health Program Specialist
• Brittney Okada, MPH, CHES, Health Program Specialist
• COVID Community Partnership Team: Matt Huntington, Allison Cowdell, Ban Naes, Jill Christian, Wenwen Tian

Guiding Principle

Health Equity is the principle underlying our commitment to reduce and, ultimately, eliminate health disparities by addressing its determinants. Pursuing health equity means striving for the highest possible standard of health for all people and giving special attention to the needs of those communities at greatest risk for health disparities.

Health disparities are differences in health outcomes that are closely linked to economic, socio-cultural, environmental, and geographic disadvantage.

Mission

Our mission is to advance health equity and reduce health disparities in Utah.

Vision

Our vision is for all people to have a fair opportunity at reaching their highest health potential given that health is crucial for well-being, longevity, and economic and social mobility.

Policies

OHD executes programming with guidance from the following policies; Development, Approval, and Amendment of Office Policies and Procedures, Integrating Community Input into OHD Programming, Demonstration of CLAS Competence by Contracted Partners and Promoting Workplace Diversity.

Health Equity Framework

The UDOH OHD Health Equity Framework maps out relationships between 1) structural, system-based, and social determinants of health, 2) health equity and health disparities, and 3) quality of life and social cohesion. Advancing health equity requires a health equity mindset. It is not about doing more; it is about thinking differently. In turn, this perspective guides all strategies and actions.

Strategic Plan 2017-2020

This strategic plan is a blueprint for the OHD and reflects our commitment to build upon past successes while moving forward with our mission to advance health equity and reduce health disparities in Utah.

This plan supports state and federal public health priorities and aligns with:

• Utah Department of Health Strategic Plan 2017-2020
• Utah Legislative Mandate for the Office of Health Disparities
• National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA)
• Office of Minority Health, State Partnership Initiative (SPI)
• Healthy People 2020 national objectives

Find the OHD Strategic Plan here.

History

During the 2011 Legislative Session and in compliance with Senate Bill 33, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), Center for Multicultural Health (CMH) was replaced with the Office of Health Disparities Reduction (OHD). From 2005 to 2010, CMH coordinated efforts to address racial and ethnic health disparities.

The new office has a broader mission than the former Center for Multicultural Health, which focused only on racial and ethnic minority health. OHD continues its commitment to reducing racial and ethnic health disparities, but is also looking for opportunities to address health disparities by geography and income. For more information, see the complete law.

Glossary Terms