2020 Community Health Improvement Week
Honoring our Front-Line Health Care and Community Heroes
June 1-5, 2020
"We cannot walk alone.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
A community is essential to our well-being. It is made up of human connections and provides life’s necessities. When a community is in crisis, the events affect everyone. It’s at that moment when we most need to come together to heal, change and move forward.
Community Health Improvement Week was created more than 10 years ago to honor the people who come together and work tirelessly to improve our communities. Let’s take this occasion to reflect on the importance of community, nurture greater understanding, form powerful partnerships and find new solutions so that one day all people can live healthier and happier lives.
Read AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack's statement on George Floyd's death and unrest in America.
CHI Week Digital Toolkit
Download the digital toolkit to learn how you can raise awareness about CHI Week.
Join the Conversation
Follow @ahahospitals and @communityhlth for CHI Week updates.
Share your CHI Week activities on social media and tweet using #chiweek and #healthcareheroes.
A Week Full of Insights, Stories and Tools
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
We kick off Community Health Improvement Week by sharing success stories on how Franciscan Health and St. James Parish Hospital worked with their community and government partners to address critical health needs during the COVID-19 crisis.
Positive Stories
Franciscan Health worked with its community partners on educational toolkits to help thousands of families cope during the pandemic.
St. James Parish Hospital, local government and community partners accelerate coordinated communications efforts to slow the virus’s spread in rural Louisiana.
Resources
Podcast
Partnering During a Pandemic
Darren Henson from AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity interviews Professor Lena Hatchett, Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, on the benefits of hospital-community partnerships.
Tool
5 Actions to Promote Health Equity
Practical steps hospitals can take to address disparities during a crisis - from education to data collection to strategic partnerships.
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Today we recognize the work of Cedars-Sinai and Penn State Health and explore how to build and sustain cross-sector partnerships. You’ll also find a new resource for meeting the social needs of patients.
Positive Stories
Cedars-Sinai contributes millions of dollars to help meet the basic needs of people most affected by COVID-19.
Penn State Health and a local food bank and pantry are teaming up to provide relief in the form of food boxes, distributed at a drive-through COVID-19 testing site and delivered to people at home.
Resources
Case Studies
Healthy St. Landry Alliance Leads COVID-19 Response
Opelousas General Health System and its associated community health consortium address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural Louisiana.
Leadership Voices
We’re in this together and we need each other to keep moving forward
AHA’s Nancy Myers highlights a joint effort among multiple national organizations to build strong, sustainable cross-sector partnerships.
Tool
Addressing Health Inequity during COVID-19
An examination on the impact of the social determinants of health as communities manage the COVID-19 outbreak.
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Learn how University Hospitals Rainbow Center for Women & Children and the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center are taking positive steps to improve community health. Also find out what AHA’s Population and Community Health Advisory Committee and hospital executives and board members have to say about the future of community health and health equity in a COVID-informed world.
Positive Stories
Patients and their families with limited means received gift cards for food and other essentials from UH Rainbow Center for Women & Children and local nonprofits.
University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center’s partnership with a local food bank provides tens of thousands of meals to children and families experiencing financial hardships.
Resources
Case Studies
Supporting a Community-driven Response During the Pandemic
Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Michigan supports a unified community effort to identify emerging issues, take effective action and meet people’s needs during the pandemic.
Leadership Voices
Insights on the Future of Community Health
AHA’s Population and Community Health Advisory Committee share perspectives on the future of community health in a COVID-informed world.
Leadership Voices
AHA Trustee Insights Viewpoint
Carolyn Scanlan, vice chair of the board of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, highlights the role a board can play in improving community health.
Leadership Voices
What Is the Field Learning from COVID-19?
Advisory Committee Member Mikelle Moore reflects on the future of community health and how COVID-19 will change health care and community well-being forever.
Podcast
How COVID-19 Changed the Meaning of Community
AHA’s Nancy Myers joins Nancy Combs, Henry Ford Health System’s director of community health integration, to discuss how COVID-19 has changed our understanding of community and ways to create a more equitable future.