About the ACE Branch​

The ACE Branch was created in 2021 to enhance CDPH's ability to inspire and embed a culture of health and racial equity in all aspects of public health so that ALL Californians may pursue healthier, happier and longer lives.

Our mission is to support, integrate and enhance health and racial equity across the COVID-19 response, recovery and beyond, by: 

• Ensuring state and local strategies and interventions take an equity-first approach 
  
• Serving as subject matter experts on initiatives impacting underserved and marginalized populations
  
• Forming long-term, strategic partnerships with external stakeholders to enhance community engagement and outreach
  

Our North Star

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some communities experienced worse health outcomes than others. This includes but is not limited to:

• Essential workers
  
• Communities of color
  
• People with disabilities
  
• People experiencing homelessness
  
• Immigrants
  

While these groups have intersecting factors, race and income are especially crosscutting. Systemic racism and other injustices contribute to the unequal allocation of power and resources. This in turn limits certain communities from accessing the important building blocks of health.

Through decades of research, we know that community conditions where a person lives, learns, works and plays influences health outcomes more than individual healthcare or lifestyle choices. Such conditions include:

• Quality of schools
• Job opportunities
• Clean air, food, and water
• Safe places to walk, bike, and play
• Affordable housing

As California charts its path toward recovery, we have the opportunity to rebuild our public health infrastructure with fairness and justice at the forefront. Through power sharing and partnership building, we can invest in the social, economic and environmental systems that have the most impact on people's health.

Our Sections

The ACE Branch is comprised of the following sections:

• Equitable Recovery Section
  
• Regional Equity Technical Assistance Section
  
• Request technical assistance through the Equity Portal
  
• Community Inclusion & Partnerships Section
  
• Healing, Equity, Anti-Racism, Trauma Responsive Transformation Section
  

Each of the ACE Branch sections are leveraging strategies and aligning practices with the COVID-19 Health Equity Playbook for Communities (PDF).​