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Sacramento, CA – Jazmine Clark and Meghan Stanford, staff members of the California-based nonprofit organization Public Health Advocates, have been selected to serve on the California Department of Public Health’s first-ever Black Health Equity Advisory Group.
Clark and Stanford, both Black women, will serve as strategic partners of the Department of Public Health (CDPH). The advisory group will develop departmental policy, practice, and program change recommendations to increase opportunities for Black Californians to live their healthiest lives.
The advisory group aims to drive CDPH to take actions that will transform structures and systems that have led to persistent, avoidable, unfair differences in Black health. According to the federal Office of Minority Health, Black Americans are 30 percent more likely than non-Hispanic white Americans to die of heart disease – one of numerous health disparities.
Clark and Stanford support Public Health Advocates’ groundbreaking All Children Thrive (ACT) campaign, a statewide initiative helping communities establish local policies to reduce childhood trauma.
As an ACT Communications Manager, Clark trains community leaders to use strategic communications to advance policy change. She specializes in videography and is working toward a master’s degree in public relations.
“I am excited to join the Black Health Equity Advisory Group to contribute to a more inclusive public health landscape in California,” said Clark. “I look forward to collaborating with like-minded leaders who grasp the cultural needs of Black Californians and developing strategies that address these specific needs. As a communications professional, I am committed to leveraging storytelling to amplify the voices of our community and shape public health policies and practices.”
As an ACT Coach, Stanford provides strategic support to community residents leading policy campaigns in Long Beach, Big Bear City, the San Gabriel Valley, and Los Angeles County. She has a master’s degree in social work and created Saviorism Bias Training in 2021 to educate nonprofit leaders.
“As part of the Black Health Equity Advisory Group, I want to ensure that programming and investments are equitable and effective for Black Californians,” said Stanford. “I am looking forward to helping CDPH meet the needs of all cultural groups in our state.”
Public Health Advocates is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to achieve better health, equity, and racial justice policies.