Collaboration: Opportunities

“This report summarizes the unique perspectives of 11 executives who are at the forefront of community engagement and participated in the BUILD Health Challenge. This report explored the following issues: role of executives; motivations for hospitals and health systems to become BUILD partners; definitions of health equity, social determinants of health, and related strategies; how hospitals invest in and sustain initiatives that address social determinants of health and health equity; [and] lessons learned, advice, and challenges conducting their work.”

Rochelle Davis and Sarah Weisz write about how "building effective policy advocacy campaigns, creating programs that support sustainable systemic changes, and engaging parents to identify and advocate for critical issues are all key to supporting healthy schools and communities."

“On February 5, 2015, the Roundtable on Population Health Improvement hosted a workshop to explore the relationship between public health and health care, including opportunities, challenges, and practical lessons. The workshop presentations reflected on collaboration [between health care and public health organizations and professionals] in four contexts: payment reform, the Million Hearts initiative, hospital – public health collaboration, and asthma control.”

“The American Public Health Association’s Center for School, Health and Education advances equity in school settings to prevent dropout and improve graduation rates for K-12 students. [They] partner with schools, school-based health centers, community organizations, and other stakeholders to strengthen the integration of public health in all strategies, policies and practices. Rooted in social justice, our strategic model is helping schools create opportunities for all students to achieve their full potential despite social disadvantages.”

“Cities nationwide are experiencing housing-related challenges, with a growing share of the population unable to afford to rent or own a home. Residents struggle to afford not just a place to live, but a stable home that supports their health and well-being. This paper explores the factors that contribute to affordable housing and health, including examples of successful strategies used by cities to generate and preserve healthy and affordable housing.”

This report summarizes the lessons learned from the Mayors’ Institute on Advancing Education and Health through a Community Schools Strategy in May 2017 hosted by the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute). The YEF Institute is committed to supporting “mayors and city leaders in developing effective strategies to ensure that all children and families develop the skills needed to thrive in the 21st Century workforce.”

“Access to safe, quality, affordable housing - and the supports necessary to maintain that housing - constitute one of the most basic and powerful social determinants of health. In particular, for individuals and families trapped in a cycle of crisis and housing instability due to extreme poverty, trauma, violence, mental illness, addiction or other chronic health conditions, housing can entirely dictate their health and health trajectory. For these populations, housing is a necessary precursor of health. Supportive Housing is increasingly recognized as a cost-effective health intervention for homeless and other extremely vulnerable populations.”

“Housing First programs address chronic homelessness by providing rapid access to permanent housing, without a pre-condition of treatment, along with ongoing support services such as crisis intervention, needs assessment, and case management. A form of permanent supportive housing, the program usually serves individuals who are chronically homeless and have persistent mental illness or problems with substance abuse and addiction. This webpage lists the beneficial outcomes of Housing First, as well as information on evidence of effectiveness and resources on implementation.”