Linking economic development and public health efforts: Opportunity for catalyzing change?

According to Dr. Thomas Frieden's Health Impact Pyramid, interventions that affect socioeconomic factors could have the largest impact on population health, but public health's specific role in improving socioeconomic conditions is unclear. One possible approach is linking public health with economic development efforts. The objectives of this session are to discuss the potential utility of linking these efforts, and to highlight an example of a promising collaborative program called Lifelong Information for Entrepreneurs (LIFE) Plus for women in Oregon's Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. Incarcerated women suffer disproportionately from physical and mental health problems and substance use issues, as well as from unemployment and poverty. Health problems and other factors – such as minimal education, poor social skills, and stigma -- place formerly incarcerated women at higher risk of unemployment and poverty; these, in turn, can exacerbate health problems. We will describe how Mercy Corps Northwest and Multnomah County Health Department are collaborating on LIFE Plus to improve incarcerated women's opportunities for self-employment, success in regular employment, and health outcomes, and eventually to decrease recidivism. We will describe how LIFE Plus integrates public health and economic development systems through the following components: 1) microenterprise training for incarcerated women that incorporates business plan development, employment skill-building, and practical tools for mental and physical health self-management, 2) post-incarceration support for employment, health, and other community services, 3) community action through coalition partnerships to support economic well-being and health for the formerly incarcerated, and 4) evidence-gathering to support policy changes and agency practice.