Online Program

Oral

One of the most exciting new sectors in which a ‘health in all policies’ approach is taking hold is the field of community development. Since 2010, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the US Federal Reserve have helped catalyze this effort by partnering to convene a series of conferences around the country bringing together leaders in community development, finance, medicine and public health. These gatherings have supported efforts by innovative community developers and community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to bring a health lens to investments being made to revitalize some of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in the country. The community development sector addresses many of the most important social determinants of health – affordable housing, public safety, job creation, healthy food access, quality education and transportation infrastructure. Many CDFIs and community developers are increasingly recognizing the health impact of their work, and there is a growing movement to explicitly incorporate the health lens into projects, to measure, support and accelerate such work, and to compound the benefits of revitalization efforts. The most promising projects in this arena, however, are complex, and challenging to accomplish. They must weave together multiple funding streams, financial and development partners, program and service providers, and community input. Those working at the intersection of community development and health have expressed the need for stronger evidence, models, metrics, and success stories to help inspire and guide their efforts. This panel brings together national speakers working to identify and address these needs. We share results of a Chicago-wide, community level study examining the correlation between socioeconomic status and corresponding health outcomes. Case studies of community development projects that have incorporated two or more social determinants of health to create community health hubs explore the needed partnerships, financing, and conditions for success. We present a new tool to support use of data and metrics by healthy communities projects, to guide planning and assess outcomes. Finally, we present a LEED building certification system credit that translates health impact assessment principles and public health research into project-level design guidance developers can use.

Session Objectives: Discuss the relationship between community socioeconomic status and health. Identify community health hubs, and describe challenges, opportunities and innovative approaches involved in successfully developing them. Explain how the Metrics for Healthy Communities tool can be used to help guide and measure the impact of collaborative health improvement initiatives. Discuss how the LEED Health Process Pilot Credit translates the core principles of health impact assessment (HIA) into ‘project-level’ design and operations guidance for developers, and how public health practitioners can use the tool to better engage with developers on community development projects to improve health outcomes.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)