Health System Reform and Opportunities to Align Chronic Disease and Injury and Violence Prevention Efforts

There is a current movement in the U.S. to transform the health care system from uncoordinated, episodic, non-integrated care to a more coordinated, seamless, efficient and accountable system of care and ultimately to a community integrated system of care characterized by patient, population, and community-centered care with community health integrated networks capable of addressing the social and economic determinants of health and long term care needs. State health departments can explore opportunities to align injury and violence prevention efforts with current, broad-based, systems-level change initiatives; create and strengthen partnerships with heath care systems; increase collaboration and coordination of statewide efforts; and utilize existing resources; to become well-positioned to reduce disparities and lessen the overall burden of chronic disease and injury across the state.