Healthy Delta Initiative

One key to economic development in the Delta Region is assuring that industries investing in operations in the area have a productive, healthy workforce. But how do we know that the local workforce is healthy? How do we improve the health of our workforce if it is, indeed, not good? How do we know that we can compete with other counties, states, and regions based on the availability of capable, fit, energetic individuals that consistently show up for work, produce and create value for the firm and for the region?


Healthy Workforce Challenge

The Delta Regional Authority, through its Healthy Delta Initiative, continues to recognize that health plays a critical role in the productivity and overall well-being of the Delta region. In recent years, there have been studies commissioned by Harvard University’s School of Public Health and other institutions that show a direct correlation between economic vitality and health, measured through changes in life expectancy. 
 
The relationship between health and economic development goes beyond the fact that healthy people live longer and are therefore able to be productive members of society for a longer period of time. Healthy people also show up regularly for work and they cost their employers less in health care.  Their productivity and quality of work is higher.  Good health, increased life expectancy and the overall well-being of our communities directly impacts economic development efforts in the region. It is impossible for the DRA to maximize efforts to improve economic development without acting to address the high rates of chronic disease that have long plagued the region.  

In taking action to improve the health of our region's workforce, the Delta Regional Authority has launched the Health Workforce Challenge, providing funding to organizations and institutions for programs that use innovation and creative programming to improve the health and wellness of our community and workforce. Click here for more information and the Healthy Workforce Challenge application.


County, State, and Regional Health Profiles

In accordance with the Healthy Delta Initiative and its mission to facilitate the exchange of ideas for making measurable improvements in the health of Delta residents, the HDI County Profiles database will address the need for better information and data on the health and wellness of the DRA communities. These profiles provide uniform, reliable, easy-to-use, and, most importantly, up-to-date data for local leadership to use in benchmarking their health and healthcare improvements over time. The database offers data reports for individual counties and parishes, for each state in the Delta region, and for the region as a whole, all of which increase the quality of health and wellness information and guide public health officials in best serving Delta communities.