In April, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to their draft outline of the 2022 HHS Environmental Justice (EJ) Strategy and Implementation Plan. The plan identifies  priority actions and strategies to best address environmental injustices and health inequities for people of color, disadvantaged, vulnerable, low-income, marginalized, and indigenous populations. This plan complements the administration’s new HHS Office of Environmental Justice.

Here at Continuum, we believe that the built and physical environment impact health. We thank HHS for the opportunity to comment on the draft EJ Strategy Plan. Specifically, Continuum responded with the following feedback:

  • Appreciate the inclusion of Partnerships and Community Engagement
  • Propose including community involvement to the Performance Measures Priority Action
  • Promote interagency efforts and collaborations with community partners
  • Suggest local input to promote participatory justice
  • Support specific tools and research methods, including theory and mixed methods approaches

Click here to read Continuum’s full comment to the HHS draft outline to the 2022 EJ Strategy Plan.

The public comment period on the draft HHS EJ Strategic Plan outline is still open! We encourage others to provide input as a Word document or in the body of an email to OASHcomments@hhs.gov by June 18, 2022.