WHO WE ARE:

The Monroe County Health Equity Council is made up of individuals from all areas of the community. Participants are from a wide range of backgrounds and are passionate about transforming lives and empowering others.

OUR HISTORY:

In April 2020, the Community Justice and Mediation Center (CJAM) and Bloomington Health Foundation (BHF) were jointly awarded a 30-month grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Its purpose was to analyze current practices, identify gaps, and develop a model for community engagement related to health that is equitable and inclusive. The project, Community Voices for Health in Monroe County (CVHMC), aimed to re-imagine how decisions are made in our community and to transform existing practices into ones that are meaningful, community-wide, and embrace varying perspectives. The Monroe County Health Equity Council (MCHEC) emerged as a product from this project.

OUR MISSION:

• To serve as a bridge between underrepresented communities, elected officials, and other decision makers and quickly mobilize diverse networks to provide input in policy decisions.

• To convene diverse stakeholder groups and facilitate deliberative conversations on pressing health-related issues.

• To recommend equitable solutions to community health matters based on diverse community input.

• To continue to participate in and enhance the Community Health Improvement Plan process in Monroe County.

OUR GOALS:

The MCHEC aims to bring unheard voices into the making of decisions that affect health. The council is concerned not only with medical issues and access to medical care, but also with other issues that affect health such as food and housing security, community safety & support systems, employment/economic stability, neighborhoods and physical environment, and systemic racism. To bring underrepresented voices into these decisions, our government offices need straightforward access to those communities that are typically not at the policy-making table.