LI Course
CE Hours: 3 contact hours

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview: The purpose of this Learning Institute is to empower participants to improve the health of their communities through discussion with County Health Rankings authors and funders. The Institute will offer the opportunity for participants to use, discuss, and seek advice on how to best apply Rankings data, tools, and resources to plan strategies to deploy in their home communities. The Institute will be a success if you feel energized and inspired to bring new information and ideas to your community to improve health. In 2010 and 2011, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released the County Health Rankings, a summary profile of health in every county in the nation. The Rankings demonstrate that many factors—health behaviors, access to and quality of clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment—influence the health of our communities. By garnering media coverage and the attention of community residents, the Rankings serve as a call to action to improve community health; however, attention alone does not improve a community’s health. This session will explore strategies to translate data into meaningful action by tackling many issues identified by public health colleagues around the nation including •If the Rankings are a starting point, what other data should I review to more fully understand my community’s current health and the factors that will determine its future health? •How do I bring diverse parties—such as business leaders, elected officials, education leaders, health care professionals, funders, and citizens—into a meaningful partnership? •What legal and policy levers and other evidence-informed strategies can I use to create long-term, sustainable health improvement? •Where can I find resources to support policies and programs to improve my community’s health? •How have other communities succeeded in this work? Participants in this Institute will have the opportunity to dialogue with leaders from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and other session participants to increase their knowledge and capacity to lead community health improvement efforts.

Session Objectives: 1. Describe the Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) County Health Rankings model, metrics, and Take Action cycle. 2. Describe MATCH tools and resources that are available to assist community leaders in using the County Health Rankings data to inform an action response in communities. 3. Identify specific evidence-informed strategies and policies for taking action in your community and next steps to implement action in your community.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)