Health Resources in ActionÌýhas a broad range and depth of public health technical expertise that supports and strengthens our community health improvement, capacity building, consulting, and health investment services.
Â鶹ֱ²¥â€™s technical expertise reflects our history, our organizational vision and values, and our staff’s decades of experience, education, and training in these public health topics and approaches.
Select Â鶹ֱ²¥ technical expertise is described below. Explore our projectsÌýto see and learn more about our full range of public health experience.
Health System Transformation
A host of circumstances – financial, practical, and political – are increasing the recognition that health care, public health, and human service sectors must work together to improve health in a real and sustainable way. The shifting environment includes payment reform, a move to more coordinated, collaborative care, and a greater evidence base that a broad set of determinants impact health outcomes. These drivers are requiring that multiple systems, including health care and human services, work together to address needs such as housing, behavioral health, employment, child care, and others to improve patient health. Innovative approaches within health care and strengthened partnerships with skilled human service providers with intimate understanding of the populations they serve can yield strong community engagement and more effective service delivery models.
Early Education and Care Systems
The healthy physical and emotional development of children, starting with the first few days of life, is the foundation for a healthy and productive lifetime. Prior to school entry, children and families interact with a variety of systems – education, healthcare, housing, and the physical environment – that contribute to thriving children. Â鶹ֱ²¥ works with each of these systems to promote individual, family, and community supports for strong families and healthy child development.
Youth Development
A Youth Development Approach recognizes and builds on young people's assets and strengths. Young people who are engaged, active, and supported are critical to building and sustaining healthy communities. Â鶹ֱ²¥ takes great pride in engaging youth leaders and committed adults. We believe by expanding the skills and strengths of young people, adults, and youth serving programs, young people will create positive outcomes and, with their adult partners, be engaged in creating positive change in their communities. Public health programs for youth may be built around critical areas such as violence, substance abuse, tobacco prevention, physical health and nutrition, and healthy sexuality.
Tobacco Prevention and Control
Â鶹ֱ²¥ is a leader in the tobacco prevention and control movement. We use a multi-pronged approach, emphasizing the diverse policies and practices that can reverse the influence of the tobacco industry and create healthier, tobacco-free communities. We understand that the tobacco industry reinvents its products and establishes marketing tactics to target the most vulnerable populations, including youth, communities of color, and those living in poverty. We are nimble in our approach, providing capacity building services that advance youth tobacco prevention, educating about tobacco cessation strategies, and/or supporting policies for tobacco-free environments.
Asthma
Â鶹ֱ²¥ is committed to reducing the burden of asthma within communities through multi-level policy, practice, and educational programs aimed at improving asthma outcomes. We understand that asthma management is a complex issue that involves both clinical and environmental settings. Our extensive experience allows us to address asthma from all angles, connecting the diverse perspectives and resources of community members, health care providers, housing and education agencies, payers, and advocacy organizations.
Substance Use
Communities must take a public health approach to substance use prevention and treatment. At Â鶹ֱ²¥ we have experience across the substance use continuum of care, including an understanding of the needs of substance users, their families and caregivers, and treatment and medical service providers. Through our years working in substance use information and referral, community-level prevention, and communications, Â鶹ֱ²¥ has a unique understanding of the continuum of care, how individuals seek to access treatment, and roadblocks to recovery.
Healthy Eating, Active Living
Â鶹ֱ²¥ has worked with communities on chronic disease prevention for decades, and our healthy eating, active living (HEAL) work increasingly focuses on policy, systems, and environmental change strategies. Community health data reports have helped to focus communities on the chronic diseases caused by obesity and inactivity, and our work supports community-level change to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Many communities are increasing healthy eating in partnership with parents, school systems, and food systems, as well as increasing active living by emphasizing walking, biking, use of stairs, and better parks and play spaces. These changes have broad impact on the community and require a collaborative approach.
Oral Health