Solutions to Health Disparities Plaguing LA

According to the CDC, health equity is when every person has a fair chance to “attain his or her full health potential” without being disadvantaged by their “social position or other socially determined circumstances.” This means having equal access to jobs with a fair income, safe neighborhoods, stable housing, educational opportunities, and healthy food. 

Image courtesy of Destination Crenshaw

Unfortunately, there are many communities in LA struggling to access equal care and health outcomes. This has mainly been evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is disproportionately affecting specific communities more than others, highlighting the health disparity in our city. Various factors such as race, social-economic status, and geographical location play a vital role in determining an individual’s health outcome. 

Crenshaw corridor

Although not a new phenomenon in the country, systemic racism has been the main barrier to achieving health equity. Social-economic status has also made it very difficult for people in underserved communities to make healthy choices, including eating healthy food, having a safe space to engage in physical activity, and accessing good healthcare. That’s part of the reason why the Good Food Economy Working Group of the Los Angeles Food Policy (LAFPC) introduced the Good Food Zone policy to help provide healthy food, jobs, and economic opportunity to historically underserved communities. 

Since the pandemic started, accessing healthy food has been a struggle for many people, especially in communities like South LA, where healthy food stores are scarce. In fact, many Black and Brown communities in Los Angeles are saturated with mini-markets, convenience stores, fast-food joints, and liquor stores, with fewer grocery store options. 

Studies show that people with a lack of adequate food resources have higher rates of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. The disparity of food options in these communities has been an issue for years. In 2011, FLOTUS Michelle Obama started the Let’s Move campaign to help increase healthier food options in food desert communities. LAFPC also launched around the same time with a mission to ensure that food was affordable, sustainable, and accessible for everyone. The Good Food Zone Policy aims to increase access to healthy fresh food in “food desert'' neighborhoods and provide economic incentives for food entrepreneurs. 

In order to qualify for The Good Food Zone program, businesses must meet certain criteria. The baseline level is the minimum requirement for businesses to qualify for the incentive, and the Gold Standard is the highest standard that can either be met upon eligibility (qualify for higher incentives) or within three years in the program. As part of the requirement for the Gold Standard, businesses must commit to a 10% hire of people with barriers to employment such as transitional aged youth, formerly homeless, and formerly incarcerated.  

Mass incarceration is another form of structural racism that has devastatingly affected the Black community. According to new research by Advancement Project-California, the incarceration rate for African Americans in Los Angeles is 13 times more than that for white people. Many of these people are struggling with homelessness, poverty, mental illness, and addiction. Since our justice system does not have the resources to handle such issues, many people are cycling in and out of jail instead of getting the help they need to lead healthy lives and become productive members of society. 

We’ve partnered with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on the Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) programs, which include Pre-Filing Diversion, Rapid Diversion, and the Incubation Academy, to provide alternative ways to help and rehabilitate individuals so that jail remains the last option and not the first and only one. While the road to achieving health equity has been full of obstacles, we know the solutions that are needed and funding is finding its way to the solutions. The Good Food Zone policy and the Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) initiatives will provide some of those solutions to the health disparities in our county. By providing healthy food access, job opportunities, and reducing incarceration and reincarceration, we will be a few steps closer to achieving health equity.