Dr. Tuckson is absolutely right - we are clearly ALL in this together - health care providers, hospitals, government, public health agencies, communities, and individuals. As an activist friend of mine likes to say, "each one of us is grass root."
In Maine, we are using America’s Health Rankings® as the driving force to improve the health of the state through MaineHealth's Health Index initiative. Our just-published Health Index Report for 2011 (posted on www.mainehealth.org) tells the story in pictures and words much better than I can describe here. MaineHealth is leading this initiative but many partners are involved in the public and private sectors—out of necessity—with the biggest state east of the Mississippi and a little over a million people you have to rustle everyone to the table!
By focusing on six key health determinants and outcomes (we decided early on we could not tackle it all) we ARE making progress. Evidence of this can be found in the health system's own budget, reflected in almost $5 million in new investments to expand local and regional strategic initiatives in tobacco, obesity, child immunization, cancer, heart disease and preventable hospitalizations.
Our Board of Trustees, who urged us to focus on making real and measurable improvements that would improve the health of the communities in the system's service area, is pleased with the direction we're heading in. As Dr. Tuckson suggests, we, too, had to get more creative about where we go for financial support. You have only to look at our hugely successful childhood obesity prevention initiative called Let's Go! (www.letsgo.org) to see evidence of how the business community (banks, a retail grocery chain, a health insurer, a United Way agency, and others) has stepped up to the plate to provide significant leadership and major financial support.
We could not do this work without the considerable clout and respect that has been accorded America's Health Rankings over the years. What's been important to us is America's Health Rankings' science base, the consistency, and most of all, the drumbeat from our nation's leading public health and health care leaders to challenge OURSELVES and our communities to DO BETTER.
I can proudly report that in Maine, we've heard the challenge and we're working our way up to be the healthiest state in the nation.
Deb Deatrick MPH
VP, Community Health, MaineHealth