The first in the series, co-sponsored with the Association for Community Health Improvement (ACHI), was titled “Application of The Community Guide by Two Health Systems to Improve the Health of a Community.” The webinar introduced participants to The Community Guide and how two health systems in Akron, Ohio used it as a resource of best practices for a diabetes prevention program.

 

Presenters from Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron, Akron General Health System, and Summa Health System, described how they used The Community Guide to inform program decisions and develop a framework for involving multidisciplinary team members in a multi-site project. The program incorporated educational and experiential modules and influenced behavior changes that led to increased self-management skills and improved communication with care providers.

 

“The Community Guide is a valued resource here in Akron – and informs much of our work,” stated Jennifer L.S. Teller, Head of Chronic Disease Initiatives with the Center for Community Health Improvement at Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron. “In fact, as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Community Transformation grantee, we use it in conjunction with Healthy People 2020, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Institute of Medicine triple aim, and Dr. Frieden’s Health Impact Pyramid to insure that our strategies for systems, policy, and environmental changes are evidenced-based and will have a greater impact on our population’s health.”

 

The project built upon an earlier initiative by Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron to establish an Accountable Care Community among healthcare and community partners. The recorded webinar and presentation slides are available on TRAIN (course ID: 1047702) or through the webinar event page.
 
The success shared during the presentation is the latest demonstration of a partnership between public health and healthcare. Another example of successful public health and healthcare collaboration to address a community health challenge is PHF’s Antibiotic Stewardship Program.

 

The next webinar, scheduled to be held on January 16, 2014 from 1:30-2:30 PM ET, will focus on how United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley in Allentown, Pennsylvania uses The Community Guide to influence their investments and community-level strategies to support older adults, including the launch of the Gatekeeper Program. The Gatekeeper Program uses untraditional health advocates to connect older adults to services that can assist this population with healthy eating, physical activity, and access to mental and physical healthcare and other services to meet basic needs that impact health. The webinar also will address a number of evidence-based recommendations for healthy eating, physical activity, and access to healthcare for older adults. The free webinar is co-sponsored by PHF and United Way Worldwide, and open to all. Visit the event page to learn more or contact Cheryl DeAguiar at cdeaguiar@phf.org with any questions.

 

As one of its Strategic Goals, PHF is exploring additional initiatives to create opportunities for effective public health and healthcare collaboration.  If you know of promising practices and partnership opportunities that can support this Strategic Goal, please contact info@phf.org.