On the Synergies That Can Generate Excellence in Public Health Education

This chapter focuses on health education in the university sector. Public health has much to benefit from the responsibility for knowledge translation by universities, the chapter argues. Ultimately, the creation of the social, economic, and political conditions that generate health must involve engagement in the tools of cultural conversation and in a full-throated engagement both in communicating these ideas to those who can make change happen and to the general public who influence them. The chapter looks at the ways that public health further education has been changing in recent years. It ends by looking forward to a time of innovation in education.

Overview—Training and Workforce: Preparing for the Future That Is Already Here

Over the last few years, this chapter explains, the role of training and the workforce has moved from the position of not a primary concern to an important factor in public health issues. Part of the shift was the result of the rapid growth of community partnerships, making the opportunity to include learners more than an isolated possibility. Another was the infrequent presence of learners, training programs, or professional schools in the partnerships, even though many were occurring in the neighborhoods around the professional schools and programs. And a large part was the eagerness of the learners themselves. However, as this next section of chapters will explain, the voice of students and residents in the health improvement process has not yet reached full force.

Case Study: Nontraditional Partners in the Case of Kansas City

This chapter demonstrates the power of non-traditional partnerships to achieve policy change at the local level. The chapter's review of the work of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the KCMO Health Department to motivate adoption of Tobacco 21 initiatives in multiple jurisdictions highlights the importance of business and public health working together.

Building Off of Evidence-Based Policies: The CDC’s Health Impact in 5 Years (HI-5) Initiative and CityHealth, an Initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente

This chapter discusses the importance of evidence and describe work in the CDC's HI-5 Initiative and the de Beaumont Foundation's CityHealth program to distill the broad range of evidence on effective policies into a form more readily actionable at state and local levels. Successful policymaking does not have to be mysterious; the chapter argues. The science and art of good policymaking involves identifying evidence-based options, conducting feasibility assessments, and fostering strategic partnerships. The chapter presents some critical factors for developing and implementing policy. The chapter relates these to the work in the two case studies it presents.

The Role of Community Development as a Partner in Health

This chapter introduces the community development sector, an extensive network of financially skilled institutions and members that work collectively to reduce poverty in underserved and under-resourced communities by addressing social and structural determinants of health. Offering innovative and sizeable financial opportunities to invest and improve vulnerable communities, this sector shares a common mission to improve health, generates economic growth, and catalyzes and sustains multi-sector partnerships for population health improvements. The chapter adds some narrative on personal expertise as a funder at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and describes how they have gotten involved with Community Development Financial Institutions.

Overview—Sustainability and Finance: Supporting Partnerships over Time

This chapter introduces the next section of the book which is about sustainability and finance when it comes to cross-sector collaboratives for population health improvements. It states that the focus should be on closing the gap when it comes to health disparities and a goal needs to be reducing the need for health care services. Effectively acquiring, managing, and sustaining financial investments in health is fundamental to the success of multi-sector and community-led health improvement initiatives. The chapter outlines the topics covered by the individual chapters in this section.

Case Study—Acting (and Funding) Locally: How One Virginia Foundation Is Changing the Way It Supports Communities

This chapter presents a case study based on the experience of the Northern Virginia Health Foundation (NVHF). The NVHF was created twelve years ago and was created to improve the health and health care of the residents of Northern Virginia, with a particular emphasis on those of low income and the uninsured. The chapter shows how despite being a small foundation, over the years, NVHF has made significant investments in the health care safety net. However, despite this, low-income residents in the area continue to face considerable challenges. The chapter makes some general conclusions based on this experience: cross-sector collaboration is difficult and, in many instances, expensive. But the return on investment is potentially strong. The direction should be creative and focused.

Is the Perfect the Enemy of the Good?: Using the Data You Have

This chapter offers instructions on how to find the data needed for a particular public health improvement program. The chapter starts by defining two systems of data collection: primary and secondary. However, it is important to remember that all data has limitations. There is no such thing as perfect data. The use of primary data in practice or policy decision-making is often constrained by resources and time, as collecting robust data typically takes years. Although secondary data poses limits, such that it might be data not collected specifically for a particular health question, or not being representative of the population of interest, or perhaps there is a lag in data availability. However, the chapter concludes, things can always be improved even if perfection is never reached.

Overview—Data: Finding and Using Information

This chapter looks at the broader picture of this section of the book which is the uses, issues, benefits, and pitfalls of data in the goal of improving community collaboration for public health benefits. This section of the book, the chapter explains, explores what is happening to build the trust and accountability necessary for partnerships in which data sharing is at the center. Data on the causes of death and disease are necessary to drive well-informed, impactful resource allocation and policy decisions. As maintaining health has become more complicated, so has the need for more complete data. Electronic health records has digitized patient encounters, creating an unprecedented volume of data on disease. But, these data alone do not provide the information needed to improve health.

Sustainability Through Accountability: The Accountable Community for Health Model

This chapter opens by posing the issue that public and private funders have long supported community collaboratives to address a wide range of health issues. Although these collaboratives accomplish important goals, they rarely continue beyond the funding stage or yield lasting systems change. The chapter describes the Accountable Community for Health Model as a model for sustaining community collaborations. The chapter identifies seven key elements for success. The Wellness Fund is a unique component, though many of the success factors and lessons learned are in alignment with other models.