ASRH Community Engagement Principles and Values
Purpose
This document is intended to remind managers and staff of the section’s principles and commitments when making programmatic decisions, especially those related to community engagement efforts. The document is for internal programmatic use and not for public distribution.
Vision
The Adolescent Health, ScreenWise, and Reproductive Health Section (ASRH) envisions an Oregon where racial inequities are eliminated, and all community members are empowered to thrive.
Community Engagement Principles
ASRH centers its racial equity work around community engagement and acknowledges the following principles as we work toward our vision:
- Government agencies, programs, and policies create harm in Black, Indigenous, and other communities of people of color. Historically, these communities have experienced health disparities resulting in delayed access to care, poorer health outcomes, and ongoing trauma.
- ASRH must center the needs and voices of these communities in developing policies, programs, and procedures to eliminate racial disparities in health.
- Long-term partnering with organizations run by and for these communities is key to lessening the racial disparities in health and improving health outcomes for all Oregonians.
- Taking risks and trying new strategies to support these communities serves ASRH’s vision.
Community Engagement Values & Commitments
ASRH leadership and staff commit to the following values and strategies to work toward our vision in collaboration with communities of people who historically have experienced health disparities.
| Restorative Practices |
- We invest in long-term partnerships with a diverse network of community-based organizations, clinics, and non-profit organizations.
- We provide resources and funding to community partners.
- We create programming and procedures with community partners to meet community needs, reduce barriers, and lessen disparities in health outcomes.
- We develop a culture of continuous learning to help all communities thrive.
- We hold ourselves accountable and work
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| Lived Experience | - We prioritize partnerships with organizations that serve the needs of communities that historically have experienced health disparities.
- We recruit, employ, and provide professional development opportunities for staff with lived experience navigating the intersections of race, class, gender, disability, and health care.
- We collect and share data and information that justly reflect the people they represent.
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Proactive and Responsive
Community Engagement | - We communicate with community partners in a clear, honest, and timely way.
- We gather and value feedback from communities to develop, implement, and improve our policies and services.
- We evaluate the policies we develop and the quality of services we provide by how they benefit and/or burden communities most impacted by racial disparities in health.
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