Code of the District of Columbia

§ 7–756.02. Commission duties and functions.

(a) The Commission shall advise the Department of Health's Office of Violence Prevention and Health Equity on:

(1) The development of a baseline assessment of health equity across the District, and differing opportunities for health by demographic subpopulations and geographic areas, including in each election ward of the District;

(2) The application of innovative data collection and dissemination strategies to augment the use of evidence-based methods and tools and practices within a community-based participatory research framework; and

(3) Strengthening collaborative partnerships with communities impacted by health inequities to identify and promote health equity strategies.

(b) The Commission shall:

(1) Gather information from public hearings, inquiries, and studies to understand how the District government may work to eliminate health disparities;

(2) Seek federal grants, if available; and

(3) Submit a formal city action plan by March 1 of each year to the Department of Health, the Mayor, and the Council.

(c) The formal city action plan required by subsection (b)(3) of this section shall be a public document and shall include, at a minimum:

(1) A report of the Commission's findings regarding:

(A) Health equity across the District and differing opportunities for healthcare by demographic subpopulations and geographic areas, including in each election ward of the District;

(B) The identification of health indicators studied that highlight the election ward and populations or neighborhoods most affected, possible steps that can be taken by the District government to remedy these issues, and expected outcomes that will result from taking the recommended steps; and

(2) Draft legislation, regulations, amendments to statutes or regulations, or any other specific steps for implementing the recommendations described in paragraph (1) of this subsection.