The Urgency of Equity (updated 9/7/22)
The Urgency of Equity Toolkit was developed by a coalition of public health experts and grassroots organizations to help educators, parents, and communities advocate for safer, equitable schools, and separate fact from fiction about COVID-19 protections.
Facts About COVID and Schools
- COVID-19 is an airborne virus. Clean air and masks are essential to stopping its spread.
- COVID-19 can cause severe and chronic illness, disability, and death for educators, students and families.
- Vaccines help protect against severe disease and death – but too few students are vaccinated.
- Reducing the spread and impact of COVID on children and their families is an important part of protecting their mental health.
- High-quality masks, especially when universally used, limit transmission.
- Testing helps keep schools safer and informs decision-making.
- The U.S. public supports protections in schools.
Innovation and Engineering
Goal: To promote best practices for COVID-19 mitigation, including cleaner air, vaccinations, testing and masking.
Emotional PPE (Mental Health Support)
The healthcare and mental health systems were already strained prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Long after the accolades have faded, healthcare workers have continued doing their jobs.
In October 2021, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Association declared a national state of emergency in children’s mental health.
Outreach
About
Goal: To collaborate with professional medical societies/ organizations, health systems, public and private sector entities regarding advocacy efforts for COVID, mental health, education, and systemic racism.
In collaboration with Philadelphia Healthcare Invested in Racial Equity (PHIRE).
CNEPS 