Mobilizing multi-sectoral partners to transition from community health data to action

Similar to many diverse, urban, and low-income areas around the nation, Wyandotte County (which includes Kansas City, Kansas) has long struggled with problems of poor health among its residents. After poor performances in consecutive County Health Rankings reports, Wyandotte decided to take action. This session will feature multi-sectoral perspectives on the work it takes to transition from data to action, and how the Healthy Communities Wyandotte (HCW) initiative has created a movement to support community health improvement among local officials, stakeholders, and community members. Wyandotte's Mayor will present the call to action he delivered to his community in 2010, the progress Wyandotte has made since then, HCW's strategies for convening coalition members across sectors and backgrounds, and how he has successfully framed improvements to the social determinants of health as an economic development tool. The director of the local health department will detail how he has facilitated the initiative's efforts, helping to move from discussing data and methodology to crafting a comprehensive set of recommendations, securing funding for policy and program interventions, and embarking upon an implementation phase to improve the built environment. Lastly, a researcher from the Kansas Health Institute will share how her organization has helped to create a demand for evidence-based policy and practice in the community and how researchers can partner with stakeholders from other sectors to support health improvements at the local level.