About Healthy Communities

What is “Healthy Communities”?
Healthy Communities is the space in which the community development, economic development, public health and health care industries collaborate to reduce persistent health inequalities and create healthier communities for all.

Why the Dallas Fed is involved in Healthy Communities
At the Dallas Fed’s Community Development Office, our role is to support the Federal Reserve System’s economic growth objectives by promoting community and economic development and fair and impartial access to credit. Our constituents serve low- and moderate-income individuals, often by providing or facilitating affordable housing, personal financial products and services, small business development products and services and community facilities.

The individuals community developers reach are the same individuals who face major health disparities. While access to health care is one component that explains these disparities, the social determinants of health—where people work, live, learn and play—can play a strong role as well. The more opportunities individuals have to make healthy choices, the more likely they can live longer and healthier lives. These social determinants of health are the nexus of the community development and health sector’s joint interests. It is in this space that collaboration is imperative. And the health of our country and economy depend on it: in general, wealthier people are healthier and healthier people are more economically productive.

Join the Healthy Communities Conversation

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Presentations

The Federal Reserve System has been convening leaders from the community development, economic development, public health and health care industries to discuss collaborations to reduce health disparities and create healthier communities for all. On September 28, 2011 the Dallas Fed and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation co-hosted “Healthy Communities: the Intersection of Community Development and Health.” Following are speakers’ presentations.

Why We’re Here: The Intersection of Community Development and Health
David Williams
Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health and Professor of African and African American Studies
Harvard University

The State of Health in Texas and Obesity
David Lakey
Commissioner
Texas Department of State Health Services

Microfinance and Microenterprise Development
Janie Barrera
President and CEO
ACCION Texas–Louisiana

Assets, Housing and Health
Stephan Fairfield
President and CEO
Covenant Community Capital Corp

The Intersection of Community Development and Health: A County-Level Initiative
Dennis Worsham
Regional Health Officer
Seattle and King County, Washington

Health Impact Assessments: Incorporating Health into Community Development
Kara Vonasek
Project Manager, Health Impact Project
The Pew Charitable Trusts

Active Living By Design: Engaging Community to Improve Health
Moderator: Risa Wilkerson
Project Officer, Active Living by Design
University of North Carolina

“Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities: Supporting Community Action to Prevent Childhood Obesity” El Chamizal–El Paso, Texas
Maria Teresa Cerqueira
Chief, U.S.–Mexico Border Office
Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization

Healthy Communities in Westside San Antonio
David Clear
Coordinator; Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities
San Antonio Metropolitan Health District

CAN DO Houston—Children And Neighbors Defeat Obesity: Addressing Childhood Obesity One Neighborhood at a Time
Beverly Gor
Director
CAN DO Houston

Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities: Grant County, New Mexico
Andrea Sauer
Coordinator; Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities
Grant County Community Health Council, New Mexico

Childhood Obesity in Texas: A ‘Massive’ Public Health Issue (and what we can do to help)
Shreela Sharma
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Assistant Director, Dietetic Internship Program
Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living
University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston

Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute at Juanita J. Craft Recreation Center
Donna Rice
President, Southern Sector Health Initiative
Baylor Health Care System

Community Health Centers: The Foundation of Community Economic Health
Terry Glasscock
Senior Project Consultant
Capital Link

Accountable Health Organizations: Harnessing the Potential of Healthy Communities
Eduardo Sanchez
Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas

Healthy Communities Topics

• Access to Healthy/Nutritious Food

• Asset Building

• Childhood Obesity

• Community Development and Health (includes collaborations between the community development and health sectors)

• Community Health Centers

• Diabetes

• Disparities in Health and Health Care

• Early Childhood

• Education

• Financial Stress

• Health Care and Health Care Reform

• Health Impact Assessment

• Housing and Health

• Income, Wealth and Health

• Message Translation

• Neighborhoods and Health

• Poverty

• Public Health

• Race and Socioeconomic Factors

• School and Health

• Social Determinants of Health

• Stress and Health

• Violence, Social Disadvantage and Health

• Work and Health

Access to Healthy/Nutritious Food

• "Building Healthy Communities Through Equitable Food Access," Judith Bell, PolicyLink, and Marion Standish, The California Endowment, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Investment Review, Volume 5, Issue 3.
• Healthy Food Financing Initiative, the Food Trust.

Asset Building

• Asset Building and the Wealth Gap
  This issue of Banking and Community Perspectives identifies trends in American households’ wealth, shows its disparities among demographic groups, and spotlights the challenges Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico households face in building and sustaining their assets. “Asset Building and the Wealth Gap,” Elizabeth Sobel Blum, Banking and Community Perspectives, Issue 3, 2006.
• Asset Building Taking Root in Rural Communities
  This issue of Banking and highlights the environment around rural asset building, points to valuable resources and showcases some initiatives taking root that foster economic growth, prosperity and self-sustainability. “Asset Building Taking Root in Rural Communities,” Roy Lopez, Banking and Community Perspectives, Issue 1, 2011.

Childhood Obesity

• Active Living Research: Building the Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity and Support Active Communities, activelivingresearch.org/alr/about
• “Childhood Obesity in Texas: A ‘Massive’ Public Health Issue (and what we can do to help),” Shreela Sharma, Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Community Development and Health

• “Active Living By Design: Engaging Community to Improve Health,” Risa Wilkerson, Active Living by Design, University of North Carolina, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• Building Healthier Communities from the Ground Up
  This issue of Banking and focuses on some nonlegislative efforts to foster healthier communities, particularly in low- and moderate-income areas. These efforts are led by both public and private organizations across the Federal Reserve’s Eleventh District. “Building Healthier Communities from the Ground Up,” Elizabeth Sobel Blum, Banking and Community Perspectives, Issue 2, 2010.
• “CAN DO Houston—Children And Neighbors Defeat Obesity: Addressing Childhood Obesity One Neighborhood at a Time,” Beverly Gor, CAN DO Houston, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• “The Cash Market in Health Care: A Community-Based Approach,” Joy Anderson and Andrew Greenblatt, Criterion Ventures, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Investment Review, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2009.
• “Childhood Obesity in Texas: A ‘Massive’ Public Health Issue (and what we can do to help),” Shreela Sharma, Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• “Coming Out as a Human Capitalist: Community Development at the Nexus of People and Place,” Nancy O. Andrews with Christopher Kramer, Low Income Investment Fund, Community Development Investment Review, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2009.
• “Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute at Juanita J. Craft Recreation Center,” Donna Rice, Baylor Health Care System, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• “Healthy Communities in Westside San Antonio,” David Clear, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• “Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities: Grant County, New Mexico,” Andrea Sauer, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, Grant County Community Health Council, New Mexico, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• “Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities: Supporting Community Action to Prevent Childhood Obesity” El Chamizal–El Paso, Texas,” Maria Teresa Cerqueira, Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• “The Importance of Community Development for Health and Well-Being, ” S. Leonard Syme and Miranda L. Ritterman, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Investment Review, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2009.
• “Making Up for Lost Time: Forging New Connections between Health and Community Development,” David Fleming, Hilary Karasz, and Kirsten Wysen, Public Health-Seattle & King County, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Investments, Winter 2010/11, Volume 22, Number 3.
  
• “Prescription for Healthy Communities: Community Development Finance,” Lisa Richter, GPS Capital Partners, LLC, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Investment Review, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2009.

Community Health Centers

• “Community Health Centers: The Foundation of Community Economic Health,” Terry Glasscock, Capital Link, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• "Community Health Centers: Success and Challenges, Building Healthier Communities from the Ground Up," Elizabeth Sobel Blum, Banking and Community Perspectives, Issue 2, 2010.
• “Community Health Centers: A Vital Strategy for Community Development,” Scott Sporte and Annie Donovan, NCB Capital Impact, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Investment Review, Winter 2009, Volume 5, Number 3

Diabetes

• “Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute at Juanita J. Craft Recreation Center,” Donna Rice, Baylor Health Care System, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• “The Impact of Diabetes on Individuals, Households and Communities and the Work of the Juanita J. Craft Recreation Center’s Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute,” Podcast of Donna Rice, Southern Sector Health Initiative with Elizabeth Sobel Blum, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Disparities in Health and Health Care

• County Health Rankings: Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
• “Defining Disparities: Opportunity for Change in Fort Worth and Dallas,” Center for Community Health, presentation by Katie Cardarelli and Marcus Martin, March 2009
• Gender and Health: The Effects of Constrained Choices and Social Policies, by Chloe E. Bird and Patricia P. Rieker, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008
• Q-DART: Tools for Assessing and Responding to Disparities in Health Care Quality, a RAND Health project.
• "Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and the Work of the Center for Community Health," Podcast of Kathryn Cardarelli, Center for Community Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center and UT Southwestern Medical Center, with Elizabeth Sobel Blum, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
• Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, ed. Brian D. Smedley, Adrienne Y. Stith and Alan R. Nelson, Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.

Early Childhood

• Early Childhood Experiences and Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Education

• Education Matters for Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Financial Stress

• Financial Stress and Its "Physical Effects on Individuals and Communities," Laura Choi, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Community Development Investment Review, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2009.

Health Care and Health Care Reform

• Beyond Health Care: New Directions to a Healthier America, the Commission to Build a Healthier America, April 2009.
• “National Health Care Reform and the Center for Public Policy Priorities’ Texas Voice for Health Reform,” Podcast of Anne Dunkelberg, Center for Public Policy Priorities with Elizabeth Sobel Blum, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
• "The Relevance of Health Reform to Community Health and Development," Peter Long, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Neal Halfon, University of California, Los Angeles, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Investment Review, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2009.
• "The Small Business Perspective on Health-Care Reform," Allison Kelly and Kirsten Snow Spalding, Pacific Community Ventures, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Investment Review, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2009.

Health Impact Assessment

• "Health Impact Assessment," Kara Vonasek, Health Impact Project, The Pew Charitable Trusts, July 2012
  Podcast | Presentation | Resource List | Screening Worksheet
• Health Impact Assessments help policy-makers address the effects on health when making decisions in other areas, such as transportation, agriculture and energy. Learn more
• “About HIAs,” Healthy Impact Project: Advancing Smarter Policies for Healthier Communities, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
• “Health Impact Assessments: Incorporating Health into Community Development,” Kara Vonasek, Health Impact Project, The Pew Charitable Trusts, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Housing and Health

• For most Americans, home represents a place of safety, security, and shelter—and it often represents a family’s greatest single expenditure. Factors related to housing can help—or harm—health. Learn more
• "The Disability Housing Market: Opportunity for Community Development Finance as the Americans with Disabilities Act Turns 20," Charles D. Hammerman, The Disability Opportunity Fund and Samantha Bennett, Center for Wealth Preservation, Community Development Investment Review, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2009.
• “Vital Links: Housing’s Contributions to the Nation’s Health and Education Objectives,” National Housing Conference + Center for Housing Policy.

Income, Wealth and Health

• Beyond the link between income and access to medical care, higher income can provide access to homes in safer neighborhoods, healthier food and more time for physical activity. Learn more

Message Translation

• “Breaking Through on the Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities: An approach to message translation”
  Conveying information about social determinants in non-technical language is critical for reaching leaders from a broad range of sectors to help them understand the many factors that impact health.

Neighborhoods and Health

• Safe neighborhoods with sidewalks, playgrounds and full-service supermarkets can make healthier choices easier. But for many, neighborhood conditions serve as barriers to good health. Learn more

Poverty

• The Poor Pay More—Poverty’s High Cost to Health, George A. Kaplan, September 2009.

Public Health

• Reinventing Public Health: Policies and Practices for a Healthy Nation, ed. Lu Ann Aday, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, October 2005

Race and Socioeconomic Factors

• Dramatic differences in health among racial or ethnic groups exist in the U.S. across the measures of good health, from infant mortality and diabetes prevalence to overall death rates. Learn more

School and Health

• “Childhood Obesity in Texas: A ‘Massive’ Public Health Issue (and what we can do to help),” Shreela Sharma, Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Social Determinants of Health

• "Addressing America’s Health Challenges: A Vital Role for Community Development," David Williams, Harvard University, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• “The Intersection of Community Development and Health,” Dennis Worsham, Public Health, Seattle and King County, WA, PowerPoint presentation at Sept. 28, 2011 Healthy Communities conference by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• “Looking Upstream: How Income, Education and Racial Inequalities Shape Health,” Webinar by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• “Overcoming Obstacles to Health,” Report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the Commission to Build a Healthier America, February 2008,
• “Place and Health: Why Conditions Where We Live, Learn, Work and Play Matter,” Webinar by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
• “A Short Distance to Large Disparities in Health,” This map shows that two people living just a few miles apart can have a significant gap in life expectancy, reflecting differences in wealth, education and other social factors.
• “What Shapes Health-Related Behaviors?” Where we live, learn, work and play can have a greater impact than medical care on how long we live and how well we live.

Stress and Health

• Chronic stress is linked with chronic disease. Learn more

Violence, Social Disadvantage and Health

• Violence, health and social disadvantage are inextricably linked. The health effects of violence can be mitigated with strategies that address the social determinants of health. Learn more

Work and Health

• Workplace exposures can affect health, but the workplace also can be a place to promote healthy activities and behaviors. Learn more

Resources on the Web

Commission to Build a Healthier America
The Commission has investigated why Americans aren’t as healthy as they could be and looked outside the health care system for ways to improve health for all. From February 2008 to December 2009, the Commission studied prevention, wellness and the broader factors that influence good health—conducting site visits, hearing testimony from experts, and issuing 10 recommendations to dramatically improve health for all Americans. See their recommendations

County Health Calculator: How Do Your State and County Compare?
See how many deaths could be averted in your county if education and income levels were different. Find your county

County Health Rankings
This website provides access to 50 state reports that rank each county according to its health outcomes and the multiple health factors that determine a county’s health. Learn more

Food Desert Locator
Get a spatial overview of low-income neighborhoods with high concentrations of people who are far from a grocery store. Learn more

Health Impact Project: Advancing Smarter Policies for Healthier Communities
This project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, is a national initiative designed to promote the use of health impact assessments (HIAs) as a decisionmaking tool for policymakers. HIAs use a flexible, data-driven approach that identifies the health consequences of new policies and develops practical strategies to enhance their health benefits and minimize adverse effects. Learn more

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
This foundation conducts health policy analysis, serves as a clearinghouse of news and information for the health policy community and helps run large public health information campaigns. Learn more

NewPublicHealth
This blog is designed to spark an ongoing conversation about public health challenges, opportunities, evidence, solutions and innovations. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation invites and encourages active participation. Visit NewPublicHealth

Opportunity Finance Network
Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) is the national network of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)—private financial institutions that are 100 percent dedicated to delivering responsible, affordable lending in order to help low-income, low-wealth and other disadvantaged people and communities join the economic mainstream. Learn more

RAISE Texas
RAISE Texas is a statewide network of nonprofit organizations, for-profit corporations, and public institutions working to support and expand asset-building activities in Texas, with a particular focus on low- and moderate-income families and areas. Learn more.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The mission of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is to improve the health and health care of all Americans. For information on its program areas, publications and research, health policy data, grants and related topics, visit the website.

What Shapes Health?
This Robert Wood Johnson Foundation online resource lists how the following topics shape health: early childhood experiences, stress, race and socioeconomic factors, education, income and wealth, work, neighborhoods, housing, violence and social disadvantage. Learn more