Health Equity

Office of Health Equity

The mission of the Office of Health Equity is to improve the health and well-being of residents living in underserved and vulnerable communities throughout Nassau County by collaborating with community partners and health partners to provide initiatives that help ensure greater health outcomes for those living in these communities.

Although Nassau County as a whole has high rates of overall health for our residents, several communities in Nassau County have far worse health outcomes. This is especially evident when we look at rates of chronic disease and maternal and infant mortality, where residents of communities of color historically fare worse than their white neighbors in less vulnerable communities. To address these health inequities, the office implements a collaborative, community-engaged, and data-driven approach to achieve health equity throughout Nassau County. The Office of Health Equity does this by:

Partnering with community and health stakeholders to provide health-related programs, education, awareness, and outreach to underserved and vulnerable communities throughout Nassau County;
Disseminating data pertaining to health inequities and sharing information regarding best practices to the community in order to work with community and health partners to develop and implement data-informed, evidence-based strategies to address health inequities in Nassau County; and
Mentoring young emerging leaders who demonstrate an interest in health equity.

What is Health Equity?

“Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Achieving this requires removing obstacles to health—such as poverty and discrimination and their consequences, which include powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay; quality education, housing, and health care; and safe environments.”

Source: Braveman, P., Arkin, E., Orleans, T., Proctor, D., Acker, J., & Plough, A. (2018). What is health equity?. Behavioral Science & Policy, 4(1), 1-14.

What are Social Determinants of Health?

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.

SDOH can be grouped into 5 domains:

For more information about Social Determinants of Health, please visit: https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/social-determinants-health

Source: Healthy People 2030, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved [date graphic was accessed], from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/social-determinants-health

Health Data by Race/Ethnicity

National Health Profiles by Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups

New York State Health Indicators by Race/Ethnicity

Nassau County Health Indicators by Race/Ethnicity

June 2022

March 2022

February 2022

Webinars & Videos

Click here Headline to view webinars and videos that cover various health topics that relate to health equity issues affecting racial/ethnic minority communities in Nassau County.

Additional Agency Resources

New York State Office of Minority Health: The Office of Health Disparities Prevention (OMH-HDP) works with individuals, communities, government, and public/private partners. Their goal is to ensure high quality, affordable and accessible health care for all New Yorkers.

Nassau County Department of Social Services: The Nassau County Department of Social Services is committed to strengthening and preserving families by providing financial assistance and services to residents of Nassau County.

Nassau County Department of Human Services: Nassau County Department of Social Services provides the residents of Nassau County with a constituent centered and holistic approach to the delivery of services and information through and between its Office for the Aging, Office of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency, and Developmental Disabilities Service, Office for the Physically Challenged, and Office of Youth Services.

Nassau County Office for the Aging: The Office for the Aging empowers older persons to live more independently in their own homes and communities.

Nassau County Office of Minority Affairs

Nassau County Office of Hispanic Affairs

Nassau County Office of Asian American Affairs

The Office of Minority Affairs, the Office of Hispanic Affairs, and the Office of Asian American Affairs strengthen communities through programs which promote the development of economic and cultural opportunities for the county's racial/ethnic minority residents.

Nassau County Veterans Service Agency: The Vision of the Veterans Service Agency is to ensure that all eligible Veterans and their families receive the benefits they are entitled to.

Additional Health Resources

COVID Data by Race/Ethnicity

State and County COVID Vaccine Data by Race/Ethnicity

State and County Age Adjusted Rate of Fatality COVID-19 Data by Race/Ethnicity

Maternal Mortality - Hear Her Campaign

Over 700 women die each year in this country from problems related to pregnancy or delivery complications. Every death is a tragedy, especially when we know that two thirds of pregnancy-related deaths could be prevented. As many as 50,000 women experience severe, unexpected health problems related to pregnancy that may have long-term health consequences.

In addition, there are considerable racial disparities. American Indian, Alaska Native, and Black women are two to three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women.

The CDC’s Hear Her campaign seeks to raise awareness of potentially life-threatening warning signs during and after pregnancy and improve communication between patients and their healthcare providers.