Chief Equity Officer Statement
stronger relationships and levels of trust with the community. These increased engagements and continued commitment to relational policing have led to the department renewing its connectivity to many of Arlington’ s underserved and marginalized communities. While the data demonstrates that there is still work to be done by both law enforcement and the community, the department and its leadership have made demonstrable commitments to achieving those goals.
Education Equity
Strategic partnership and collaboration continue to be an area of focus to address education equity. Since the hiring of the Chief Equity Officer, there have been intentional efforts to ensure that the Arlington-serving ISDs, community colleges and four-year institutions work in collaboration with the City to meet the needs of all residents, particularly as it relates to youth in underserved and underrepresented communities:
• The Mayor’ s Education Coalition and Arlington ISD, specifically, have been critical partners with the City in the delivery of community-based events and other engagement activities.
• Tarrant County College and UTA continue to support the City’ s efforts to make higher education accessible to all segments of the community by partnering with the City and stakeholders to deliver college admission, financial-aid and academic exploration workshops to underrepresented populations.
Healthcare Access and Affordability
There is still considerable progress to be made in this area. For every primary healthcare provider in Tarrant County, there is a service population of more than 1,600 residents, far exceeding the national average of 1,300 residents per primary care provider. The City will continue to work with Tarrant County and area medical institutions to ensure all resident needs are included in the county’ s strategic planning efforts. Additionally, the Chief Equity Officer and the City’ s Public Health Nurse will continue to partner with community-based organizations and service providers to ensure essential health services and screenings are being provided to communities where health access disparities are the most acute.
Unity Council Report 2023 133