Collaborating with Public Health to Improve Population Health

National Rural Health Resource Center Podcasts

The core mission of public health has consistently been to reduce the leading causes of preventable death and disability, with a special emphasis on reducing health disparities in underserved populations. Health departments, however, have varied in the extent to which they have adapted their practices to address the growing incidence of chronic disease, drug abuse, and suicide, now the leading causes of premature death in most rural communities in the United States.

As hospitals are increasingly focusing on quality and outcomes, including the health status of their communities, they should seek out opportunities to partner with local, regional and state public health agencies. The core public health functions of informatics and mobilization of community-based partnerships are also critical to hospitals that are seeking to improve the health of their communities.

In this session participants will learn:

• The changing role of public health in the United States;
• The core elements of Community Health Assessments and Community Health Plans required of accredited public health agencies;
• Common sources of public health data that can inform hospital population health efforts; and
• Ways to address the social determinants of health by working in collaboration with public health and other community-based partners.