Despite the benefits to families and businesses, many states have shut down sorely needed #PublicPolicies such as paid leave and minimum wage increases, which could advance health equity across our nation.

A thread. 🧵 1/ rwjf.ws/3EBmHFC #PaidLeave helps families. It offers time to bond with a new child, a key to healthy development; leads to reduced infant hospitalizations and lower infant mortality; and improves rates of on-time vaccinations, with the strongest impact on families below the poverty line. 2/

Thanks to the work of @HEResearch, we now know the impacts and benefits of universal free school meals. Thanks to this thread, you know, too. 🧵 Universal free school meals increase the number of students participating in such programs in nearly all cases, and reduce #foodinsecurity among students and families with lower incomes.

As we head into the first full winter of the Coronavirus pandemic, too many Americans lack the financial support, housing protections, and access to health care that are critical to staying safe.

A🧵follows.

Read more from @DrRichBesser > usatoday.com/story/opinion/… Renters and homeowners must have the confidence that they can remain housed for the duration of this pandemic and not evicted in the dead of winter. #HousingisHealth

With these 5 #healthequity principles, state and local leaders can help their communities recover from COVID-19 fully and fairly—and create a healthier, more equitable future for all of us. rwjf.ws/35XqoCo 1⃣Pandemics and recessions exacerbate disparities that ultimately hurt us all. That’s why we must collect, analyze & report data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, residential setting + other sociodemographic characteristics.