A few weeks ago, I had the honor of attending the annual Developing Equity Leadership through Training and Action (DELTA) graduation. DELTA is a program of the OHA Office of Equity and Inclusion. It provides training, coaching and networking to Oregon health, community and policy leaders. Every year, a 25-member cohort commits to advancing health equity and diversity throughout Oregon. This year’s class is an impressive, energized group of leaders.

At the DELTA graduation ceremony.

One of the members of the 2015 cohort is Jackson County Sheriff Corey Falls. The sheriff, who also is currently completing his doctorate in business administration, has already taken what he learned in DELTA back to his community.

In August the Jackson County Sheriff's Department sponsored a workshop on "implicit bias" for business and government leaders in Jackson County. It included lessons taken directly from the DELTA program such as how to recognize your own negative stereotypes toward other persons and how to short-circuit those biases and instead respond to each person as an individual. Among those attending the three-hour workshop was John Stromberg, mayor of Ashland, who wrote about what he learned in the Ashland Daily Tidings.

Members of the 2015 DELTA cohort.

It was such an honor to meet so many colleagues who are driving equity and inclusion within their own communities throughout Oregon. These are values that we strive for every day in our work. A special congratulations to OHA participants: Chris DeMars and Belle Shepherd from the Transformation Center and Lesli Uebel from Reproductive Health. OEI is accepting applications for the 2016 DELTA cohort until Oct. 31.

To your health: It is now legal for people 21 and older to buy marijuana in Oregon, and OHA has issued some helpful health warnings for Oregonians. Among them:

• You can keep the children in your life safe and healthy by storing all marijuana products in a locked area that children cannot see or reach.
• It may harm your baby if you use marijuana in any form and at any time during your pregnancy or while you're breastfeeding.

For more information, visit healthoregon.org/marijuana.