Public Health, and Traditional Healthcare's Roles in Transforming Community Wellness

For true comprehensive community wellness to take place, barriers between the old silos of what is considered “healthcare” and what is considered public health must be removed in order to improve health outcomes and curb rising costs, according to a new report from The Health Care Transformation Task Force (HCTTF) and The Public Health Leadership Forum.

The project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, created a framework intended to facilitate partnerships between governmental public health departments and healthcare systems. The white paper,

, calls for cross-sector partnerships and improved collaboration in order to overcome the fragmentation that hinders new models of care and prevention. New models are needed to reverse inequities and stem chronic diseases—like obesity, poorer life expectancy, and worse infant mortality—

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Partnering to Catalyze Comprehensive Community Wellness: An Actionable Framework for Health Care and Public Health Collaborationthat are afflicting Americans at an alarming rate

There are 3 ways that public health leaders, industry leaders, policy makers, and others can use the framework in order to fulfill a comprehensive community wellness vision, according to the report.

• Public health and healthcare leaders can convene collaborative groups, devote the time and resources needed to effectively collaborate on a shared vision, and develop the next generation of health professionals who view multisector collaboration as the norm.
• Local, state, and federal policy makers can learn from the examples of effective cross-sector collaboration to advance similar policies and programs.
• Health practitioners can identify opportunities to engage and support community-based organizations in structured partnerships to ensure health interventions are implemented.

For the full article, visitAmerican Journal of Managed CareatAJMC.com.