Health and Human Services Agency

The Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) is an integrated agency with a robust service network that contributes to a region that is Building Better Health, Living Safely and Thriving. Its many programs are designed to help all 3.3. million San Diego County residents live well.

In FY21-22 HHSA’s commitment to advancing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism was visible on many levels including training for executive leadership, creation of a brand new department, leadership from the Transformation Team and a myriad of programs, services and activities developed by our departments.

HHSA EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

During this past fiscal year, the HHSA Executive Team participated in an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Dialogue and Reflection Series. The purpose of this series was to create a space to reflect, dialogue and support one another to lean in and lead on equity and anti-racism in alignment with the County’s re-imagined Strategic Plan and values. The approach was to create small groups of 4-5 executives who met two hours a month for three months to dig deeper and discuss what they need individually and collectively to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism.

Quotes from HHSA Executives:

“This was an awesome start to allowing Executives the chance to experience this concept. It shows the County’s commitment when you have high-level Executives participating in these workshops and I am sure other management types (and front-line staff) would feel the same way.”
“I would like to see us all make the commitment to take words to actions, continue the amazing dialogue and hold each other accountable.”
“I am going to work with our executives on strategies on hiring and succession planning and actively engage and create opportunities in our work internally and externally.”

NEW DEPARTMENT CREATED! Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities (HSEC)

On July 1, 2021, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency launched the Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities (HSEC) to ensure equity among all San Diegans and foster a community that is welcoming to new residents and reduces homelessness in the region. The three offices within HSEC provide strategic services that advance equity through Diversity and Inclusion:
- The Office of Equitable Communities (OEqC) works to advance equity among all San Diegans using a regional model to enhance community engagement and meet the needs of underserved communities.
- The Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) provides coordinated services and community outreach to reduce homelessness by preventing at-risk individuals from becoming homeless and supporting those experiencing homelessness.
- The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) works to advance equity and opportunities for immigrant and refugee communities by removing barriers to help them integrate into society and thrive.

HSEC has been focusing on holistic approaches that build on culturally, linguistically, and locally tailored strategies and best practices to elevate equity in our diverse communities. OEqC currently leads a county-wide Translation, Language, and Culture Connection (TLCC) Work Group. The group consists of County employees from all four business groups. The group seeks to improve processes around creating materials and communications to make sure they are accurately translated, culturally responsive, accessible, and trauma informed.
HSEC has also embedded community centered positions with lived experience who are helping to elevate the voice of the community. This approach serves as a new pathway to be able to reach and engage the people most affected by the policies, actions, and solutions we are promoting. This includes new County Job Classifications such as Community Health Workers who serve as liaisons between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
HSEC is also leveraging the role of six Regional Community Coordinators to advance our work in Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice. Their role is devoted to community engagement and on building on existing regional approaches and efforts to meet the needs of underserved communities by embracing diversity, equity, economic inclusion, and poverty reduction.
HSEC continues to participate in the San Diego Continuum of Care (CoC) Board Ad Hoc Committee on Addressing Homelessness Among Black San Diegans which focuses on the factors contributing to disparities among people who are black experiencing homelessness, listening and engaging in extensive public dialogue with community stakeholders, and developing a series of recommendations that the CoC can take to better address the impacts of systemic racism and its effects within the homeless crisis response system.

EDI Transformation Team

The Transformation Team partnered with the HHSA Government without Walls team to provide guidance on ways to consider equity for employees who are now teleworking
The HHSA Transformation Team expanded it’s membership to include members from the new HSEC department as well as representatives from the County’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice and DHR’s EDI team in order to align our work with countywide EDI efforts
The IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism) committee was formed to advance anti-racism at HHSA. It is based on the IDEAS that were shared by County employees at the AAACE listening sessions from 2020 on how to undo racism.

Public Health Services (PHS)

All branches in PHS developed a D&I Impact plan, Employee Engagement Impact Plan and created health equity goals for the next fiscal year 22-23 for the department’s strategic plan.
Finalized Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with San Diego State University (SDSU) on minority health research related activities.
Expanded our cultural and social calendar with accompanying fliers (with new minority health research section) to distribute to all staff.
Rolled out a 5-part Racial Equity training for staff.

Child Welfare Services (CWS)

Child Welfare Services will undergo an extraordinary new transformation in the coming months through the proposed Child and Family Well-Being (CFWB) department. It is a fundamental shift toward prevention in an upstream manner for child welfare, family strengthening, and family sustainability.
Child Welfare is developing a plan of implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) that will enhance support services for families to help children remain in their homes and reduce the use of congregate care placements by increasing options for prevention services, increased oversight, and requirements for placements.
Child Welfare Office of Equity introduced/launched a Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Human Library as a Best Practice for countywide replication.

Behavioral Health Services (BHS)

The Community Experience Partnership (CEP) is a joint initiative between County of San Diego Behavioral Health Services (BHS) and the University of California, San Diego. The goal of the CEP is the integration of data and community engagement to promote behavioral health equity in San Diego County. The CEP allows the public to explore, monitor, and visualize behavioral health equity data through a series of interactive dashboards. Data sources include surveys, vital records, hospitalization and emergency department data, and service and outcome data for individuals served by the Behavioral Health Services system. Users can explore indicators of equity over time, across neighborhoods, and for numerous subpopulations, including by race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, justice involvement, and more.

Self-Sufficiency Services (SSS)

SSS seeks to engage and educate staff about EDI by honoring key historical events or people: • Black History Month • Women's History month
D&I Tree to celebrate Juneteenth- the branches of the tree represent the diverse community and the history of Juneteenth was shared with staff. This interactive activity allowed staff to participate by taking an apple, writing what Diversity and Inclusion means to them, and placing the apple on the tree. 
Virtual D&I Cookbook- celebrate our team's diversity through a culinary lens, share individual experiences, and create a cookbook that celebrates the various dishes that are special to the teams. 
D&I Scrapbook- choose a topic each month and have employees submit a picture of it.

Housing and Community Development Services

HCDS, in partnership with the Cultural Proficiency Institute, conducted a series of staff discussions and trainings on Diversity and Inclusion; some topics include the History of Housing and Racial Inequities and a two-part series on Microaggressions in the Workplace.
HCDS is working to develop a D&I strategic Action Plan for the incoming year. This would include D&I improvements in the following areas:

Onboarding training for new employees specific to D&I
Review of HCDS programs, policies, and procedures to identify D&I recommendations
Quarterly D&I training and department assessments
Special D&I Projects to create a safe and inclusive work culture

The Knowledge Center

The Knowledge Center plays a key role in advancing equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism at HHSA by staffing the EDI Transformation Team and offering classes to the HHSA workforce. Our goal is to connect employees to the culture at HHSA to foster more inclusion, create belonging and promote equity. During FY21-22, we added some new topics to our schedule including:

Reflections on the Impact of Anti-Asian Hate and Your Role as an Ally

“I learned how to be an Ally to this community. I also learned that this community and who I identify as have a lot of commonalities. Thank you for your time and wisdom to share your knowledge.” Participant quote

Understanding Systemic Racism

“This was one of the more impactful trainings I have attended. Dr. Starck presented historical context for many of the current discriminatory practices we see today….. Understanding each other on a micro level humanizes the people who are on the receiving end of systemic racism. This galvanizes our allies and creates the platform we need for change.” Participant quote