Online Program

Oral

Community resilience is a promising new field of public health that adheres to the principles of community-based asset development by focusing on what makes communities able to survive and thrive in the face of adversity and threats. Understanding and building resilience of individuals has long been an emphasis within the field of psychology, and more recently, community-level resilience has been the focus of efforts to rebuild the structural and social aspects of community life after a natural disaster. In this session, we will present lessons learned from post-disaster efforts, as well as current applications of these models to other community-level threats to health and well-being such as violence, disadvantage, and stress. We will start by presenting results of a systematic cross-disciplinary literature review of community resilience theory and evidence that was ground-truthed in focus groups with West Philadelphia community leaders and residents. Next, we will hear about the state of community resilience efforts in public health, including RAND’s community resilience project. Then we will hear lessons learned from New Orleans-based efforts to build community resilience post-Katrina. Panelists from New Haven will share successes of grassroots community resilience teams focusing on reducing gun violence. Lastly, we will hear about efforts to build the resilience of community leaders in Southwest Philadelphia, to support the psychosocial well-being of the natural helpers in low-income, high-stress communities. This session will address frameworks and efforts of community residents and leaders actively strengthening community resilience to ensure that where they live supports every resident’s health and well-being.

Session Objectives: Describe the history, cross-disciplinary theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence, and community perspectives on community resilience as applied to health and healthy neighborhood environments. (2) Discuss how community-level public health threats such as violence exposure, chronic disadvantage, and resource-poor neighborhood environments prevent communities from supporting every resident’s health and well-being.

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