The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) discusses the need for community health funds, especially in the face of uncertain funding options to support preventative care in communities of need. Highlighting research done by the Nonprofit Finance Fund, RWJF discusses the current environment around community health funds, including both opportunities for expansion and challenges to growth.
“Since CHFs align stakeholders across sectors around a shared strategy while directing funding toward local priorities, they can help improve community health, lower costs and combat persistent health inequities. Melissa Nahm, who had guided the work to uncover learnings about CHFs, shared the promise she believes they hold by stressing that “we need leaders to collaborate in new ways to prevent illness and disease. We also need to value and pay for this work. CHFs offer an innovative way of paying for prevention."
With an aim of making Delaware one of the five healthiest states in the U.S., DCHI is working with community leaders and other stakeholders in ten regions to establish “Healthy Neighborhoods” designed to address the social determinants of health, such as socioeconomic status, employment, and the physical environment. With collaboration between community organizations, the medical care delivery system, and the public sector, the Healthy Neighborhoods initiative will provide sustainable interventions that encourage healthier lifestyles and improve the overall quality of Delawareans’ health.
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