MPH Newsletter, Vol. 8
WE USE DATA TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF COMMUNITIES THROUGH COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENTS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES…
We hope you have been enjoying some summer weather and are able to take time to celebrate the “small wins”!
Since our Lunch & Learn event this past April where we discussed health equity, our team has continued to research, discuss, and integrate strategies for promoting health equity in our work. This month’s newsletter will highlight some of the things we’ve learned.
As always, our focus this month is to collect and transform data into actionable and usable results. Reach out to us anytime to learn more about community health needs assessments and CHIPs/implementation strategies! Set up a FREE discovery call with us here.
Stay healthy,
Stephanie, Allie, & Elissa
Coming Up…
Don’t forget to add our September Lunch & Learn event to your “back to school” checklist this fall! With this month’s theme of “Closing the gap: implementing strategies to promote health equity”, we will be delving into specific strategies to promote health equity in our work as public health professionals.
Mark your calendars for September 20th 12-1pm ET, we can’t wait to get back to learning together!
IN THE NEWS…
This past month, our talented MPH Team had the chance to connect, recharge, and generate BIG ideas at our second team retreat this year!
To see our adventures and a summary of what we learned, check out this video.
Stephanie was also featured in the newsletter, 'Leaders We Love', a series that spotlights pioneering leaders who are creating purpose-led brands with a focus on conscious marketing. Check it out here!
TIPS & TRICKS OF THE MONTH
An evidence-based method for improving health equity through community health needs assessment is to form more collaborative partnerships with community groups, to better reach diverse community members. Schools, churches, and advocacy groups are often key partners.
This review from the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice highlights that community health needs assessments need to be more representative of the US population in order to provide decision-makers with accurate data about those most in need. Click the link above to check out the full article and learn more!
Did You Know?
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine released their ‘Review of Federal Policies that Contribute to Racial and Ethnic Health Inequities’ this past month. This is an independent, evidence-based, and objective analysis of federal policies that contribute to racial and ethnic health inequities. They identified 13 recommendations at the structural level.
We encourage you to review these as applicable to your work, but also, as they impact the health of all Americans!
PUBLIC HEALTH NEED SPOTLIGHT
Health equity is a core public health need. It is often defined as the state in which all community members have the opportunity to achieve full health and well-being, without being disadvantaged by any factor (particularly social position or other circumstances).
There are well documented health inequities across the United States, and globally. Health inequities, as well as health disparities and related concepts, are identified as part of the community health needs assessment process. We do this through talking to community members and leaders through interviews, focus groups, and surveys, as well as through collecting secondary (existing) data.
For more information on these concepts, check out this resource from the CDC on ‘Defining Disparities, Inequities, and Inequalities in the Healthy People Initiative’. Though related, these concepts have distinct definitions.
public health organization spotlight
We were so thrilled to work with Fresno County, CA on their community health assessment (CHA) and improvement plan (CHIP) this year! We had to spotlight them in this edition as champions of health equity for their community for several reasons…
Their community dashboard allows user-friendly access to updated health data from their community, and even highlights disparities. Community engagement was identified as a priority health need that will be addressed in their CHIP, an important part of this being policy, advocacy, and hearing the voices of the community.
And it goes beyond the health department and healthcare facilities! Check out these coalitions who are also connected and committed to building a healthier and more equitable Fresno County. We think this is an amazing example of community collaboration - bringing together all of the organizations and community members who are working towards a healthier community:
mph favorites to share with you…
This month Stephanie would like to share a movie, based on a true story, “Till”. This heart-wrenching and emotional movie is about a journey of grief that leads to action, and ultimately highlights the universal power of a mother's ability to change the world.
This month Allie recommends an easy, fun boardgame for all ages, for those summer nights spent with family. Just One is a crowd pleaser and will have you laughing while giving your brain a workout!
Looking for summer road trip podcasts? Hosted by the Associate Commissioner of Minority Health at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Elissa recommends the Health Equity Forum Podcast. It showcases conversations with interdisciplinary American professionals, regarding topics that affect the health and well-being of diverse populations. With lots of variety, there are episode topics for any health interest!
WHAT OUR TEAM IS THINKING ABOUT THIS MONTH…
Reflect and share your thoughts with us on our social media platforms below
- we would love to hear from you!