Current Programs and Initiatives

CLAS Taskforce

The Office of Health Equity convenes a monthly taskforce to discuss items related to the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS). The OHE oversaw the creation of a CLAS Toolkit, found here for both internal and external use. Additionally, the OHE supports incorporating CLAS contract language in all Commonwealth documents with vendors. 

Pennsylvania Interagency Health Equity Team (PIHET)

The Pennsylvania Interagency Health Equity Team was initiated in February 2017. This team is a replication of a federal interagency team (FIHET) which includes a representative or representatives from many state agencies that come together to discuss health equity among their particular agency. These state agencies are asked to identify the top three health equity concerns that their agency focuses on and provide data regarding these issues. The interagency meetings are held for collaboration among the different agencies, to bring information to the table, and reach out to other agencies for assistance or guidance in how to monitor these issues. The data is provided to the Department of Health and assists the Health Equity Team in writing the Health Equity report, as well as identifying gaps.

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