What's Happening

By Madhuri Jha, LCSW, MPH | April 26, 2023
Vice President of Science, Equity, and Integration, ETR

Rest has not only been something we, as people of color, have always needed, but it is something we have always deserved. Breaking the negative feedback loop means we must allow ourselves to rest, to honor those before us who could not.

By The ETR Team | March 10, 2023

On December 21, 2022, Proposition 31 went into effect in California, banning the sale of most flavored tobacco products. This ended a two-year referendum of senate bill 793 (SB 793) signed into law in August 2020. The passage of this law has sparked conversation across the state as the tobacco industry adapts its product lines, and residents and public health advocates work to understand what the flavor ban will look like in practice. Let’s explore key facets of the law, and how it promotes health equity and empowers local policy efforts.

By Sarah Han, MPH and Rebecca Braun, DrPH, MPH | December 14, 2022
YTH Initiative, ETR

The INSPIRE+ project empowers and collaborates with California youth to design innovative, creative, and youth-led solutions that address unhealthy substance use and promote community healing, using ETR’s Trauma-Informed Youth-Centered Health Design framework. 

By Ravena Soto | November 1, 2022
Project Coordinator - Tribal Community Coordinating Center, ETR

Each November is recognized as Native American Heritage Month in the United States, marking a time to celebrate the rich cultures and diverse people descended from the original inhabitants of these lands. Native stories and contributions are plentiful, but they are often omitted or modified to fit a more acceptable narrative. Native people are inseparable from our nation's past, present, and future, and their exclusion is our collective loss. This month, and every month, provides an opportunity to learn and understand the impacts of misrepresentation and erasure.

By The ETR Team | October 26, 2022

Evidence-based pregnancy and STI prevention programs are programs that have been shown, in at least one program evaluation, to have a positive effect on reducing unplanned pregnancy or associated behavioral risk factors, such as delaying sexual activity, or increasing condom or contraceptive use. Providing young people with evidence-based pregnancy and STI prevention programs is one strategy to help address the disparities that persist in the United States. With schools and service organizations facing limited time and resources, these programs serve as an effective option for reducing risk behaviors.

By The ETR Team | May 5, 2022 (Updated June 24, 2022)

Access to safe, legal abortion is at critical risk. In the next few months, 26 states could vote to ban abortion, putting in place insurmountable barriers to abortion services for over 36 million women and people who can become pregnant, which can have a profound lasting impact. We’re in this fight and are prepared to be an active, engaged partner in creating a culture that mirrors our mission, vision, and values.

By ETR and Roots Community Health Center | February 24, 2022

In this conversation, ETR’s Black Family Wellness team is joined by the Roots Community Health Center (RCHC) team to discuss the need for utilizing a holistic community-led approach to address systemic racism in health care and support the holistic health of Black women who are pregnant.

By Michael Everett, MHS, EdD | February 9, 2022
Chief People and Culture Officer, ETR

Happy Black History Month (BHM) from ETR! Formally, this annual celebration started as Black History Week and was pioneered by Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950). A Black Virginian sharecropper turned international educator, Woodson would not have his dream fully embraced until 25 years after his death. By 1975, every US president starting with Gerald Ford would officially recognize Black History as an opportunity to celebrate a neglected part of American History. In addition, the celebration highlights the essential role of Black Americans in building the United States from its colonial beginning.

By Nasbah Ben | November 23, 2021
Director of Tribal Programs, ETR

As a non-profit organization that advances health equity, we can not address health equity among Native American Tribes in California and beyond without first acknowledging that they are the original inhabitants of the land where our offices are located.

By Vignetta Charles, PhD and Morey Riordan | October 28, 2021
CEO, ETR and Founding Director, Transgender Strategy Center

As an organization committed to advancing health equity, ETR is dedicated to honoring the contributions, history, and evolving health equity topics of LGBTQ+ communities across the globe. In honor of LGBTQ+ History Month, ETR’s CEO Vignetta Charles chats with Morey Riordan, Founding Director of the Transgender Strategy Center, on the past, present, and future of LGBTQ+ History Month in the US.

By Michael Everett, MHS, EdD | October 14, 2021
Chief People and Culture Officer, ETR

What is the cause of the great Health Literacy divide and disconnect between academic research and the communities that are often times the focus of such research? As we recognize Health Literacy Month this year, let’s explore health equity through the journey from health consciousness to health promotion. As we seek out ways to improve the accessibility of research, resources, and ultimately our health messaging, we must also focus on centering our communities and challenging old paradigms that perpetuate narratives of shame over strength.

By Vignetta Charles, PhD and Yolo Akili Robinson | July 14, 2021
Chief Executive Officer, ETR and Chief Executive Officer/Founder, BEAM

In this conversation, ETR’s CEO Vignetta Charles is joined by Yolo Akili Robinson, Founder & CEO of Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM), to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health services, the need for reimagining and redefining mental health interventions, and the push for reclaiming this month as “Mental Health Liberation Month.”

By Eddie Givens | June 22, 2021
Guest Writer, Community Member and Activist

Eddie Givens shares his reflections on the history of HIV Testing Day and the AIDS epidemic, highlighting the importance of HIV education, health equity, and ensuring accessible testing in every community.

By Wendy Kaplan, MPH | May 19, 2021
Former ATOD Program Manager, ETR

One of the projects I work on at ETR is the Tobacco Education Clearinghouse of California (TECC). I have the pleasure of working with organizations throughout the state of California doing their part to end tobacco-related health disparities. One of the ways we do this is through the creation of educational materials that provide information to specific audiences on a wide range of topics.

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | May 4, 2021
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

It was a lazy Sunday, and we were watching Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. My 10-year-old, like every other kid his age, is always looking to see themselves represented in the content we consume. He turned to me and asked, “Why aren’t there that many diverse people in this Star Wars movie?”

By ETR Leadership Team | March 17, 2021

As an agency committed to advancing equity, ETR is speaking out against the increase in hate crimes targeting Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). While these recent attacks have drawn national attention, inflammatory rhetoric and disparaging or violent acts against these communities are, unfortunately, nothing new. This surge is the latest in a long and often overlooked history of racist acts inflicted on AAPI individuals, families, and businesses—ranging from subtle, pervasive microaggressions to overt verbal and physical attacks. 

By Laiah Idelson, MSPH & Stephanie Guinosso, PhD, MPH | February 2, 2021
YTH Initiative, ETR

The YTH Initiative at ETR has led the field in Youth-Centered Health Design for the past decade. We recently joined forces with our colleagues at ETR and broader communities to create Trauma-Informed Youth Centered Health Design (TIYCHD), an approach that interweaves trauma-principles into the YCHD approach. Our TIYCHD framework was designed in collaboration with experts in design, trauma and mental health, youth engagement, and public health through a community consultation with twelve participants and expert interviews with forty others.

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | December 1, 2020
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

December 1st marks Worlds AIDS Day and this year’s theme is Resilience and Impact. In ETR’s nearly 40-year history addressing HIV/AIDS, we have been committed partners in the fight to end the epidemic. We have witnessed the resilience of people living with HIV as well as the impact of the work to end HIV — particularly the work that centers the voices of communities most impacted.