DPH Office of Health Equity reports staffing and data gains, warns REAP requires prioritization

Dr. Ayanna Bennett, chief health equity officer at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, briefed the Health Commission Oct. 4 on the Office of Health Equity's progress and challenges in implementing the department's Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP).

Bennett described four core OHE functions — equity culture, capacity building, outcomes, and accountability — and outlined near‑term deliverables: a disparities dashboard and disparity report, a community survey pilot, affinity group guidance, a health equity impact assessment for contracts, and plans to standardize race/ethnicity/language data across DPH systems. She said the office has prioritized hiring analytics staff and expects to reach roughly 80 percent completion on REAP activities over the three‑year cycle with newly filled positions.

On staffing, Bennett said the office had grown from an initial core of five staff and is hiring additional analysts and policy staff; she acknowledged that some staff were temporarily detailed to Laguna Honda work to address recertification needs. She also told commissioners that some REAP activities are lower‑burden (for example, visibility and representation changes) while others — such as correcting discipline disparities and hiring system changes — will be more data dependent and staff intensive.

Commissioners asked for prioritized timelines and for a clearer sense of what the office could realistically accomplish in six months given vacancies and the risk of staff burnout. Commissioner Green requested Gantt‑style prioritization to show achievable near‑term deliverables. Bennett said the office will present more focused updates at a future meeting and is building capacity to produce a disparities data report and dashboards in 2023 when staff are fully onboarded.

Bennett also discussed policy work already completed or in progress, including equity hiring guidance, a hiring process that included community panels, and an affinity group policy rolling out to staff. She emphasized that the aim is measurable outcomes — not simply awareness trainings — and that DPH is moving toward integrating equity requirements into contracting and program design.

Commissioners praised the progress but urged DPH to shield OHE staff from recurring redeployment to urgent operations so long‑term analytic and policy work can proceed. Bennett acknowledged the tradeoffs and said the office will continue to refine priorities and return with more concrete milestones.