As 2023 comes to a close, a keyword foundational to public health that keeps emerging across the field is “partnerships”.
Perhaps you are at the point where program or initiative is being planned or revised to address identified issues, priorities have been determined to address those issues, and now the task at hand is to develop an action plan to address those priorities and issues. But first, to move forward, it is important to recognize that to make an impact on priority issues/problems, addressing health inequities and their root causes are key.
As March 2020 comes to a close, the world is experiencing unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 does not discriminate and people of all color, races, gender, income, celebrity status, religion, geographic locations are being impacted worldwide. However, what does discriminate and is showing its true colors, is health inequity.
There are a wealth of activities happening across rural American working to address and improve health outcomes, including community gardens to increase access to healthy foods, economic development to invest in healthy community design, and utilization of local wellness coalitions to take action to address local health. However, increasing globalization and the growing impact of social, economic, and environmental factors on global health, calls for expansion of the scope and reach of population health approaches to improve health outcomes across rural America.
A story is “that one thing happens in consequence of another” (Davidson, 2017). A story consists of a beginning, middle, and ending or is crafted of three elements; plot, character, and moral (Davidson, 2017). Imagine you are immersed in reading an exciting book, where the story is building, and you eagerly read to see how it ends…but your dog gets a hold of your book and proceeds to chew up the last few pages…leaving you wondering how the story ends.
Take a moment to consider the community where you live, work, learn, and play. What issues are affecting the health of your community? Obesity? Tobacco Use? Access to health care services? Access to healthy foods?
What if you know what issues affect the health of your community, but are not sure how to address those issues and understand how they affect all residents in your community?
