Skip to main content
Stay updated

VicHealth Health Equity Strategy 2019–2023

5 Aug 2019
Research and Publications
VicHealth-Health-Equity-Strategy-2019–2023-725x960
Body

Some people face greater barriers than others to enjoying a healthy life. That’s why VicHealth has a focus on health equity throughout our work.

Download: VicHealth Health Equity Strategy 2019–23 (PDF, 101 KB)

Click here to download a Plain English version of this document (DOCX, 122 KB)

VicHealth’s health equity framework, Fair Foundations, recognises the underlying determinants that support or hinder good health, and identifies those determinants of health inequity that must be addressed so that all Victorians can experience good health and wellbeing. Over the next four years, we will focus on applying Fair Foundations in the following areas.

Focus areas

Putting equity at the heart of our work

To ensure that we prioritise and deliver on our commitment to health equity, we will embed it within the day-to-day work across our organisation.

To put equity into everything we do, VicHealth will:

  • ensure health equity is considered at all levels of our organisational practice – from operations through to governance
  • embed clear principles to address health inequity in our projects and programs, including giving priority to working directly with population groups who face the greatest barriers to health and wellbeing
  • ensure that differential impacts are measured in all VicHealth’s work – adjusting or realigning our approaches to achieve health equity whenever required
  • monitor trends in the determinants of health across the broader population, and use this knowledge to inform our future work.

What will success look like?
Health equity is an integral part of VicHealth’s work at every level.

Supporting action by the health promotion sector

VicHealth will work with the health promotion sector to strengthen our collective capacity to address health inequities and to continue integrating health equity into practice across the sector.

To support greater action by the sector, VicHealth will:

  • identify and address gaps in the health promotion sector in relation to health equity knowledge and application
  • deliver forums and events and develop resources that share experiences and learnings from those within the sector who are working to address health inequities
  • explore opportunities to support the dissemination of research and practical expertise in applied approaches to address health inequity
  • promote opportunities for the health promotion sector to partner with researchers to trial applied solutions to address health inequity.

What will success look like?
A sector more knowledgeable about health equity and better prepared to trial solutions to reduce health inequities.

Influencing the determinants of health inequity through partnerships

No single sector or organisation alone can address the broad range of social, economic and environmental determinants of health inequity – highlighting the need for partnerships of all kinds to bring about real change.

To influence the determinants of health inequity through partnerships, VicHealth will:

  • draw on existing health promotion partnerships to advocate for policies that address the determinants of health inequities
  • foster new partnerships outside the health promotion sector to advocate for policies that address the determinants of health inequity
  • explore opportunities to collaborate across sectors to measure the health equity impact of policies that influence the determinants of health inequities.

What will success look like?
A range of strong partnerships in and beyond the health promotion sector that are working to influence the determinants of health inequities.

 


Other resources

Download: VicHealth Health Equity Strategy 2017–19 (PDF, 318 KB)

Download: Health Equity Strategy launch transcript - 14 November 2017 (DOC, 55 KB)


Artwork by Dexx (Gunditjmara/Boon Wurrung) ‘Mobs Coming Together’ 2022
VicHealth acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land. We pay our respects to all Elders past, present and future.
This website may contain images, names and voices of deceased people.

VicHealth acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.

Artwork Credit: Dexx (Gunditjmara/Boon Wurrung) ‘Mobs Coming Together’ 2022, acrylic on canvas. Learn more about this artwork.