Oral

If we understand the past, we can better appreciate and engage communities in influencing the future of community health planning and policy development. On this 40th Anniversary of the Community Health Planning and Policy Development Section, we take this opportunity to look back, and look toward the future. We look it through the lens of public health, health care quality, community engagement in the planning process, and policy development. What better represents the community health planning and policy development perspectives than the Healthy People Initiative facilitated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Quality Improvement Initiatives facilitated by the Agency of Healthcare Improvement, the evolution of the community health planning movement in health care and the landmark Institute of Medicine report “The Future of Public Health in the 21st Century that set the trend for national policies. Presenters will demonstrate the linkages between public health and medicine, critical historical markers that shape current policy and planning practices, the role of community engagement, identify challenges, and opportunities for the future.

Session Objectives: Identify important historical influences of community health planning and policy development. Describe critical challenges to community health planning and policy development Discuss approaches to meeting these critical challenges