JACKSONVILLE, FL (October 19, 2021) – Nemours Children’s Health today released new toolkits outlining practical steps for community organizations to advance health equity. The recommendations are the culmination of a two-year, $565,000 investment from the Kresge Foundation to promote best practices and policies to advance population health outcomes across the United States.
The project, known as the Integrator Learning Lab, created multi-sector collaboratives in nine communities around the nation, bringing together healthcare systems, community-based organizations, and government agencies, to improve the health and well-being of children and families. These nine “population health integrators” received resources, coaching, and technical assistance from a variety of national experts to test best methods to promote wellness and equity.
“Advancing health equity is critical to our vision of creating the healthiest generations of children,” said Allison Gertel-Rosenberg, vice president of national prevention and practice at Nemours Children’s. “Spreading these findings and tools is essential to helping organizations address inequities in their communities that hinder health outcomes. By getting to the root of the issues, we believe that children and families experiencing inequities and disparities in care will be better served and ultimately healthier.”
Nemours Children’s recently presented results of the project, along with a toolkit to assist communities nationwide, at The Root Cause Coalition National Summit on Social Determinants of Health on October 4. Based on reports from the nine communities, the five essential methods shown to promote equity are:
- Establishing a common definition and understanding of equity, and why it matters in efforts to improve population health.
- Heeding the voices of real-world experts through governance and decision-making structures that solicit the perspectives of the community members whom the network seeks to serve and compensate them for their expertise.
- Instituting data-sharing and data-driven resource allocation to identify groups experiencing inequities and carrying out community-led, informed mitigation strategies.
- Conducting “equity impact reviews” to assess the results and potential unintended consequences of current and proposed practices, policies, strategies, etc. – and revising as needed.
- Embedding equity-promoting workflows into daily operations.
The nine communities that tested this learning-and-action collaboration model included Los Angeles CA, Philadelphia, PA, Washington, DC, Bridgeport, CT, Paterson, NJ, Ventura County, CA, Sarasota County, FL, Guilford County, NC, and Flathead County, MT.
The Integrator Learning Lab used and produced a variety of resources from national experts that were selected for their ability to accelerate children’s health system transformation, which is a central component of Nemours’ prevention and population health strategy. By addressing persistent and costly inequities in population health, Nemours is creating more healthy and vibrant communities for children and families.
“These tools have helped First 1000 Days Suncoast grow our initiative immensely,” said Chelsea Arnold, DNP, APRN, FNP-bc, initiative manager for First 1000 Days Suncoast, the Sarasota County site of the Integrator Learning Lab. “We’ve learned how to identify key partners and involve parents in our work since their experience is vital to understanding our community’s needs. Because of the tools and support from the Integrator Learning Lab, we’ve been able to expand beyond Sarasota to have a great impact.”
More about the Nemours Integrator Learning Lab and the collection of tools and resources are available online.
About Nemours Children’s Health. Nemours Children’s Health is one of the nation’s largest multistate pediatric health systems, including two free-standing children’s hospitals and a network of nearly 75 primary and specialty care practices across five states. Nemours seeks to transform the health of children by adopting a holistic health model that utilizes innovative, safe, and high-quality care, while also caring for the health of the whole child beyond medicine. Nemours also powers the world’s most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, Nemours KidsHealth.org.
The Nemours Foundation, established through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to the children, families, and communities it serves.
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