Descriptions of previously hosted sessions are listed below.
Rancho Cucamonga is an ethnically and racially diverse community in Southern California. After several decades of exponential population growth, vineyards and citrus groves have been replaced by sprawling housing and retail development. These environmental conditions were major factors that led to an increase in obesity and related health problems. Healthy RC is a comprehensive city-community partnership facilitated by the City Manager’s Office and is committed to playing an active role in long-term policy, systems, and environmental changes to support healthy living and a sustainable community. The partnership’s Action Awards work advanced a Culture of Health by identifying data-driven indicators and performance metrics to measure the impact the Healthy RC initiative has made on the community. The development of the Healthy RC Evaluation Plan is community driven, engaging residents, stakeholders, and partner organizations to collect, analyze, and interpret data, as well as to identify tools and indicators to measure effectiveness. Data-driven indicators align with the eight community health priorities identified in the Healthy RC Strategic Plan, and are informing implementation of policies, programs, and plans.
DuPage County is the second largest county in Illinois. Although the county is consistently ranked among the healthiest counties in the state, socioeconomic changes have inspired increased collaboration to support residents’ diverse needs. DuPage County is home to a community with significant increases in Hispanic or Latino, immigrant, and low-income populations. The Impact DuPage partnership’s Action Awards work advanced a Culture of Health by targeting affordable housing, the most complex of the county’s five priorities. Engagement, assessment, and Collective Impact activities were conducted in order to better understand housing needs and create a common agenda for addressing affordable housing in DuPage County.
Franklin County, Massachusetts has 68,000 residents living in 26 towns over 750 square miles. Rural poverty, isolation, and very limited public transportation contribute to challenges in accessing healthy foods, opportunities for physical activity, and health care. The vision of the Franklin County/North Quabbin Community Health Improvement Planning (CHIP) Team is that all residents in the county and region have the opportunity to participate in shaping the systems that affect their health and to pursue healthy lifestyles and achieve social, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. The partnership’s Action Awards work advanced a Culture of Health by providing support to create the CHIP Team; improving health outcomes through more rigorous evaluation; greater attention to qualitative data addressing local needs; and involving community members in planning and implementing programs.
The Joplin region is characterized by low wages, significant health risks (smoking, teen pregnancy, and obesity), low educational attainment, and a history of environmental damage due to mining practices. Situated at an interstate crossroads, there are numerous fast food chains in the region and food equity is a concern. The Joplin Area Food Action Network (JFAN) partnership strives to increase access to healthy, locally-grown food. The partnership’s Action Awards work advanced a Culture of Health by ensuring that the partnership’s strategies are community led. JFAN further engaged vulnerable populations and identified successful strategies to address food insecurity while building on the assets and lessons learned about community resilience that arose from tornado devastation in 2011.
The Monadnock region is abundant in natural beauty and community spirit. It also is challenged with socio-economic disparities that are intensified by its rural landscape and diminishing state and local resources. Cheshire County includes the City of Keene and 22 rural towns. The median household income is lower than that of the state, and 505 residents live at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. The Healthy Monadnock partnership has a 2020 mission to make the region the healthiest community in the nation through engagement of champions (partners, organizations, schools, and individuals) working to address the social determinants of health and to make the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone. The Action Awards work advanced a Culture of Health by building on efforts to develop and implement a living wage campaign, which the partnership began in January 2014.
Shenandoah was once a prosperous coal mining community with a population of 30,000 before the industry’s decline. Schuylkill County is part of the Appalachian Regional Commission, and faces many of the challenges experienced by rural communities, including high levels of poverty and unemployment and low post-secondary education rates. Healthy Shenandoah was created in 2014, and the partnership’s Action Awards work advanced a Culture of Health by establishing a project that the community chose as the most meaningful: rebuilding the town’s parks. The project engaged a number of community groups and residents who participated in the actual labor and will continue this work in the spring. Throughout their efforts, the partnership remained committed to addressing resident engagement, including the newest ethnic group in their city.
La Crosse County, Wisconsin comprises urban and rural communities. It has a higher rate of poverty than the state as a whole and a lower per capita income. The Hmong is the largest minority population, and the area was home to the Ho-Chunk Nation, whose members are still part of the community. The partnership is Healthy County: La Crosse, whose members address the needs of underserved populations. The partnership’s Action Awards work advanced a Culture of Health by addressing health more broadly and by re-designing the partnership's health improvement plan with attention to socio-economic conditions. This was accomplished by educating partners, seeking voices of underserved populations, incorporating what has worked in other communities, learning how to measure and evaluate socio-economic factors, and educating decision makers. The partnership also focused on solutions to address student mobility and the impact on community wellness.