Somava Saha, MD MS’ Post

Somava Saha, very comprehensive and thoughtful plan for fully leveraging and sustaining the talents of CHWs. This is critical work as we more fully acknowledge the impact of HRSNs and health equity on health outcomes. Used properly, CHWs are an indispensable tool in population health equity. Thanks for you long-standing leadership in promoting the CHW role, Soma. It just makes sense.

For those of you who have been following our work on Pathways to Population Health Equity, one beautiful outcome of applying that framework in Rhode Island has been the recognition of the full scope of the #CHW role in building bridges between clinical and community environments to create upstream investments in population and community health. Drawn from communities closest to the challenges, these natural civic connectors, who skilled at relationships and navigation but can also be trustworthy and effective leaders of clinical-community coalitions and partnerships to address upstream community conditions like housing availability and tenant rights and root causes like racial inequities in the environment. In this week's issue of NEJM Group, we share how this led to a roadmapping process among 140 CHWs and allies about how to sustain the role with braided and blended funding and describe the process. The four roadmaps developed to sustain the role of CHWs were about: 1) Growing the role, agency, and leadership of community health workers 2) Workforce development for CHWs and their supervisors 3) Payment and sustainability 4) People and place-based coordinating infrastructure The full roadmaps can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eND39AEU A year after implementation, there remained strong engagement and support for the implementation within the state and advancement of key functions to support CHWs. More remains to be done to align funding for long-term sustainability. https://lnkd.in/eXvNvsEx Special appreciation to co-authors and co-leaders in this process, Swanette Salazar Geraldine McPhee, Deborah Garneau and many others including James Day, Linda Cabral, Kristen Rego, Michelle Mooney, Michelle Abuna, Jonathan Scaccia and our whole team at Well-being and Equity (WE) in the World who supported this roadmapping process and contributed to building CHW leadership along the way, including Hilda Ortiz, Sarai Arpero at Latino Health Access and Kevin Barnett at CACHE #equity #healthequity #populationhealth #civicmuscle #vitalconditions #P2PHE Durrell Fox

A new report recommends changes to Minnesota’s oversight of assisted living facilities to reflect the culturally specific needs of their communities. Led by researchers from CCAPS and the School of Public Health, the study identifies four key challenges faced by smaller, culturally specific providers, and offers recommendations to meet each challenge. "There are thousands of smaller, culturally specific assisted living facilities across the US," says Rajean Moone, Ph.D. Moone, director of the University's Long Term Care Administration programs. "While specific to Minnesota, these findings and recommendations could have implications for other states that are pursuing similar efforts.” https://lnkd.in/e3wGawbp #assistedliving #culturalheritage #publichealth #ltc #ugrad #story #Minnesota #longtermcare #inclusivity #eldercare #umnresearch

🌍 Today, on Human Rights Day, the School of Public Health stands united in the belief that healthcare is not just a privilege—it’s a basic human right. Public health is at the heart of this mission, advocating for equitable access to care, safe environments, and healthier communities for all individuals, no matter their race, gender, socioeconomic status, or geographic location. Every person deserves the right to live a life free from preventable diseases, to have access to essential healthcare services, and to live in environments that support their well-being. Public health professionals around the world are working tirelessly to ensure that these rights are upheld, combating health disparities, advocating for marginalized populations, and promoting policies that ensure health is a universal right, not a luxury. On this important day, join us in reaffirming our commitment to the right to health for every individual and redouble our efforts to create systems that prioritize health equity. 🌍 Learn more about the School of Public Health here: https://lnkd.in/exJxJcVt #sphcares #publichealth #publichealthmatters #UNAI #humanrights

🌟 The 2024 County Health Rankings Report is Here! 🌟 The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program has just released the 2024 National Findings Report, offering invaluable insights into the factors influencing health and well-being across counties nationwide. This year's report emphasizes actionable strategies to foster healthier, more equitable communities. Key Highlights: 📊 Comprehensive Data: Explore county-level insights on health outcomes, education, income, housing, and more. 🤝 Focus on Equity: Understand how structural barriers and social determinants of health shape outcomes. 📕 Actionable Guidance: Discover practical, community-driven solutions to tackle disparities and promote well-being. At Onyx Rose Advisors, we recognize the vital role that data and evidence-based strategies play in advancing health equity. This report is a critical resource for policymakers, public health professionals, and community leaders committed to creating healthier futures. 📘 Dive into the findings and explore actionable tools here: https://lnkd.in/eVazJWiy Let’s work together to turn these insights into impactful actions. 🌍✨ #CountyHealthRankings #HealthEquity #PublicHealth #HealthPolicy

What if the biggest health challenges in your community couldn’t be solved with medicine alone? True healthcare goes beyond the clinic walls and it involves addressing the social and environmental factors that shape health outcomes—like access to clean air, safe housing, and education. That’s why it’s important to note that civic engagement plays a vital role in addressing these social factors. 💡 Civic engagement can mean bringing together community leaders, inspiring dialogue, and empowering individuals to advocate for changes that improve public health. It’s about working collaboratively to remove barriers and create opportunities for everyone. When healthcare professionals engage with their communities beyond the clinic walls, they build trust, foster connection, and help drive meaningful change. What steps can you take to build stronger, healthier communities? #CivicEngagement #HealthEquity #CommunityCare #PublicHealth #Collaboration

Well-deserved recognition and spotlight for Dr. Villa and La Casa de la Salud 👏🏼 Community Health Workers play a pivotal role in public health, providing trusted and culturally relevant care and resources to marginalized communities. If you’re looking for an organization to support with your 3 T’s (time, talent, treasure), I highly recommend considering LCS. Bridging the gap between the public and public services is the most critical function a nonprofit organization can have to ensure we are still leveraging public resources as much as possible before supplementing with philanthropy.

At Axis Community Health, we're committed to ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare for all. That's why we were excited to visit the Sacramento Capitol today, advocating for policies directly impacting our patients and clinic. During our visit, Axis’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Dawnell Moody, addressed the critical need to tackle the workforce crisis in primary care in the United States emphasizing the importance of preparing the next generation of primary care providers to serve diverse patient populations. Dr. Moody further discussed how Community Health Centers play a vital role in providing essential and cost-efficient healthcare to millions across the US. She outlined challenges faced by Community Health Centers in California, particularly regarding financial sustainability. Our behavioral health team provided insight into the multi-faceted benefits of integrated behavioral health highlighting our Axis Bridge urgent mental health intervention. Dr. Jennifer Penney, Axis’s Chief of Integration, shared the program’s effectiveness in providing urgent mental health services to individuals of all ages as well as the significant cost savings achieved through Axis Bridge, as well as its role in decreasing hospitalizations and unnecessary emergency department visits within the Tri-Valley. We look forward to continuing to engage with policymakers and stakeholders to advocate for policies that support our mission of providing essential healthcare services to our community. #AxisCommunityHealth #HealthEquity #Advocacy #PrimaryCare #MentalHealth #CHCs #CaliforniaHealthcare #SacramentoCapitol #DAC2024 #ValueCHCs #CHCAdvocacy California Primary Care Association

Civic engagement is not just a duty; it's a powerful tool for creating healthier communities. As we observe National Public Health Week (#NPHW), Flourish & Thrive Labs encourages you to reflect on how civic participation influences public health. Whether you voice concerns in community forums, contribute to public health surveys, or engage with local health initiatives, your involvement is a catalyst for change. Together, we can ensure that public health policies reflect our community's needs and aspirations. A recent analysis of civic engagement and state health outcomes from 1996 to 2020 showed that in states where people are more civically engaged and vote more, public health outcomes are better. (Source: Voting Restrictions and Public Health: An Analysis of State Variation ) Did you know that Flourish & Thrive Labs specializes in helping with civic engagement? We recently led a community engagement effort to help understand barriers to participation in a local community. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gzR5AFDU Image source: NPHW

BARHII is thrilled to launch a new statewide community of practice for equity champions in local public health departments on fostering impactful community coalitions with the goal of catalyzing partnerships to drive community-led investments.   Our cohort structure will help your team develop pathways best suited to your department’s local context and coalition goals. There will be opportunities to test strategies in real-time and build a peer network to collectively work through challenges and solutions. Guest speakers are seasoned practitioners who will share their experiences and lessons learned.   We’ll explore cutting-edge models and actionable practice shifts that deepen your team’s collaborative work. Topics will include: - Leveraging the CHA/CHIP to drive equitable investments in community health, including navigating new CalAIM requirements. - Aligning governmental planning efforts to prevent resident burnout, lift up shared community priorities, and pursue new collective investment approaches. - Building collaborative governance strategies that activate community decision-making about the investments residents want to see to thrive.   We strongly encourage participation by local public health department staff who work with communities impacted by inequities (health equity, policy and planning, accreditation, etc.). We also welcome local government staff from related fields such as Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH), Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), and county or citywide offices of equity.   If you’re eager for your coalition work to be rooted in long-term, trusting partnerships that result in new strategies for transformative investments in health—this community of practice is for you! Session Dates: Thursday, August 1 Tuesday, August 13 Wednesday, August 28 Thursday, September 19 Tuesday, October 1 Thursday, October 17   Additional “water cooler” sessions: Thursday, August 22 Thursday, September 12 Wednesday, October 9 Thursday, October 24 (All sessions are from 10am-11:30am PST) Pricing Fees to participate in this community of practice are based on the size of your jurisdiction's population. This is a flat fee per jurisdiction, up to 5 participants per jurisdiction. Population of Jurisdiction    Fee 300,000 or fewer residents......$4,500 300,001 - 800,000....................$7,500 800,001 - 1,300,000..................$10,500 1,300,001 or greater...................$13,500 Register: https://lnkd.in/e_5uYWaV