Advancing Health Equity: Key Insights from the Appleseed Health Equity Advocacy Conference

The Appleseed Network’s annual all-network meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, hosted by Missouri Appleseed this spring, was an inspiring gathering of advocates from our 18 legal justice centers across the United States and Mexico. This year’s event featured a health equity advocacy conference, held at the Missouri Foundation for Health. This conference provided an opportunity for our advocates to connect, share insights, and strengthen our collective efforts towards justice and equity.

Health Equity and Childhood

We started the day off with presentations on Health Equity and Childhood, highlighting the significant impact that social determinants of health have on children’s well-being. Representatives from Georgia Appleseed discussed the challenges faced by children in Georgia, where 515,000 children require mental health support, yet 46% struggle to access these services. Initiatives like School-Based Behavioral Health (SBBH) services have shown promising results, such as reduced juvenile justice risks, lower truancy rates, and increased high school graduation rates.

Several Appleseed centers are actively addressing these issues. For instance, Georgia Appleseed is working on expanding SBBH services to prevent children from entering the criminal justice system due to unmet mental health needs. Their efforts include legislative advocacy, technical assistance for starting SBBH programs, and creating toolkits for schools. These initiatives not only support children’s mental health but also contribute to healthier, more resilient communities.

New York Appleseed is working to address school segregation in New York City public schools and unstable housing conditions, both of which have psychological impacts on children and deeply affect their mental health
Kansas Appleseed is addressing health equity in children by working to end hunger with universal school meals and other services to provide school-age children with meals, fixing the foster care system to better support youth, and ending the practice of youth shackling and fines and fees in the juvenile justice system. The recent settlement they reached in litigation over the Wichita Police Department’s practice of keeping a ‘gang database’ will additionally protect children by removing them from this list.
Children who experience language barriers are both more likely to receive major medical errors and 3 times as likely as native English speakers to have poor health. Massachusetts Appleseed is helping children to overcome language barriers by promoting language access programs within the Department of Children and Families, and via legislative advocacy to ensure vital documents and websites are translated and have available interpreter services.
Appleseed Mexico is working to protect the internationally recognized rights of unaccompanied Mexican migrant children at the U.S. Mexico border. They just concluded a multi-year research project to examine compliance with the national and international legal frameworks that exist to protect these children, and will continue to advocate for enforcement of these principles and the protection and care of unaccompanied children.
DC Appleseed is working to improve health equity for children through advocacy for teaching reproductive and sexual health education in schools, funding for school-based behavioral health programs, and working with the community towards improvements in air and water quality that impact childhood asthma rates. The intersection of health equity and racial equity in DC, a deeply segregated city, cannot be ignored. For example, the area with the highest rates of childhood asthma and other health disparities is also where the vast majority of DC’s Black residents live.

Health Equity and Criminal Justice

The second session of the day explored the intersection of Health Equity and Criminal Justice. This discussion emphasized the critical need to address health disparities within the criminal legal system. Appleseed centers are working tirelessly to combat these inequities through various approaches, including policy advocacy, research, and community organizing. For example, many centers are focusing on reducing the health-related consequences of incarceration and improving access to healthcare for formerly incarcerated individuals.

Notably, Missouri Appleseed, is advocating for policies that improve the health of incarcerated people. They have won access to free menstrual products in Missouri prisons and jails and are fighting for improved health care access both during incarceration and upon reentry. By tackling these systemic issues, our centers are striving to ensure that individuals involved in the criminal legal system receive the health care and support they need.

In Oklahoma, 66% of women in OK prisons were in violent relationships within one year of their controlling charge. This year, Oklahoma Appleseed passed the OK Survivors’ Act that will ensure just and proportional sentencing for survivors of domestic violence. Additionally, they are coordinating Functional Family Therapy for justice-involved youth who suffer from chronic stress and PTSD, which ultimately reduces life expectancy and leads to recidivism and substance abuse.
Texas Appleseed advocates for preventative measures to criminal justice reform that work to improve the health and safety of residents and communities. They are working to build crisis response solutions that ensure calls for service are responded to appropriately, as well as reforming Texas state jails to maintain the health and dignity of those who are incarcerated.

Health Equity and Economic Justice

The final session highlighted Health Equity and Economic Justice, drawing connections between economic stability and health outcomes. Poverty and lack of access to resources significantly impact health, creating cycles of disadvantage that are hard to break. Appleseed centers are addressing these challenges by advocating for policies that promote economic justice and improve access to essential services.

For their part, Nebraska Appleseed has been focusing on ensuring access to fair wages and safe working conditions for all workers. Their advocacy efforts include ballot initiative campaigns that support economic stability, such as increasing the minimum wage and protecting workers’ rights. For example, they recently won a ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage in Nebraska to $15/hour and are now fighting for paid sick leave for workers. By addressing these economic factors, they aim to create healthier communities where all individuals have the opportunity to thrive.

Arkansas Appleseed is advocating for policy changes to ensure that everyone has access to identification, recognizing its critical role in accessing healthcare and other essential services. Many people face inequitable access to identification documents, particularly the trans and gender non-conforming community, which significantly impacts individuals' ability to receive necessary medical care and medication.
South Carolina Appleseed addresses economic disparities and their impact on health, emphasizing that poverty affects access to quality education, healthy food, safe housing, and essential benefits. They have won litigation to protect foster children, support kin caregivers, and address housing issues, and they are advocates for legislation to combat predatory lending, improve property laws, mitigate the eviction crisis, and expand Medicaid. Their efforts aim to reduce the coverage gap, address high maternal and infant mortality rates, and improve overall health outcomes.
New Jersey Appleseed serves as the legal arm for the NJ for Health Care Coalition and co-chairs the Legal and Advocacy Committee of the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition. They are working on initiatives like expanding public health options, including coverage for undocumented children, and developing a "know your rights" manual for medical debt. Their programs also focus on housing safety, including mold, lead, and other hazards, aiming to improve health care delivery and outcomes for over two million residents.
Nebraska Appleseed advocates for health equity through programs like their recent successful Raise the Wage ballot initiative, which now ensures livable wages for basic needs including health care. They are currently running a ballot initiative in Nebraska to provide paid sick leave to workers, emphasizing its role in preventing the spread of illness and enabling workers to seek preventive medical care. Their Protect Our Rights initiative focuses on abortion protection, highlighting the health and economic impacts of restricted access and aiming to address associated inequities, particularly for marginalized groups.

The Missouri Foundation for Health is dedicated to building a more equitable future through collaboration, strategic investment, and systemic transformation. Their support and partnership were invaluable in making this advocacy conference possible.

At Appleseed, we remain committed to our mission of reducing poverty, combating discrimination, and invigorating democracy. By taking an intersectional approach to health equity, we are working to create lasting, positive change in our communities. Thank you to all our supporters and donors for your continued dedication to justice and equity. Together, we can build a healthier, more just future for all.

Health Equity and Childhood

Health Equity and Criminal Justice

Health Equity and Economic Justice

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