“The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that community health and economic well-being are inextricably linked,” said Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation. “Businesses need healthy employees, consumers, and partners, and communities need job opportunities, stability, and equitable economic prosperity to ensure that all people can achieve their best possible health.”
IMPACT in Public Health will support this shared vision of health, equity, and prosperity by providing funding and technical assistance to the five partnership teams over a 15-month period to establish, develop, and begin to implement programs that strengthen community health. The five communities are:
- Arenac County, Michigan: The Michigan Health Improvement Alliance — in partnership with the Central Michigan District Health Department, local manufacturer Vantage Plastics and its nonprofit outreach arm The WELL Outreach — will help new Vantage employees access primary health care, with a view to improving preventive care, decreasing poverty, and increasing employee retention.
- Belchertown, Ware, and Pelham, Massachusetts: The Quabbin Health District and local manufacturer Quabbin Wire & Cable Co., Inc. will build upon a network of local partnerships to better engage employers in advocacy to expand access to transportation, education, health clinics, vaccination programs, and other drivers of community health.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: The Minneapolis Health Department, utility company Xcel Energy, and local government officials will support a growing network of community-serving resilience hubs to address the impacts of racial inequity and disparate climate impacts in low-income neighborhoods, with a focus on climate adaptation and mitigation services.
- North Central Iowa: The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health, together with the North Iowa Area Community College, local child care organizations and centers, and the Mason City Chamber of Commerce, will develop and pilot a business model to support access to child care and thereby elevate opportunities for schooling, gainful employment, and improved health outcomes.
- San Juan Basin, Colorado: San Juan Basin Public Health will partner with Cottonwood Rehabilitation and Healthcare and local business coalitions to address at a population level the region’s high risk of exposure to unhealthy air quality and extreme heat events, with an initial focus on residential care facilities and other privately owned public spaces where the need is highest.
