Healthy Communities
What is a healthy community? It is a community of individuals who actively make positive choices for their health. They educate and create options for health improvement, healthy food choices and healthy movement that are supported by the community. It is a community that continues to improve health and seek out services that will promote healthy living. The community knows what determines health and focuses its efforts on environment and behavior over just supporting traditional healthcare.
The definition of health is now commonly held as: how well you live and how long you live. The health care system only determines 10% of an individual’s health. Yet, 75% of spending is on healthcare. This might explain why healthcare is broken and why we need to become active health advocates in our community.
Harmony Healing House started in Lake County, California where the health was poor. Under the leadership of the founder, the hospital created a health leadership network and began school education. The networks were made of healthcare providers, health practitioners and public health leaders. The county went for 56 out of 58 in health status in 2001 to 53 out of 58 in health status by 2006 with little population change. How did we improve our health? By activating and empowering people who were passionate about health to take a leadership role and begin proven health improvement programs. This is not “public health”, this is health promotion and it is the best use of the healthcare dollar.
If you are a community leader and interested in assistance in starting a Health Leadership Network, please contact information@harmonyhealinghouse.com or ask your local hospital administrator to sponsor the program with Harmony Healing House.
Stay tuned to watch Mendocino County become a healthier community led by Mendocino Coast District Hospital.
