Chair File: Celebrating the Work of Community Health Professionals

This is Community Health Improvement Week. 

The AHA’s Association for Community Health Improvement leads this national event to raise awareness, demonstrate the impact and celebrate the individuals and organizations that work to advance health and well-being in their communities.
 
Community Health Improvement Week has a different theme designated for each day: advancing health and well-being by bridging care and community, strengthening capacity and knowledge of hospital-based professionals around population health, recognizing the role of technology in improving community health, connecting clinical care and community health, and raising awareness about violence prevention programs.
 
Throughout the week, ACHI will be sharing new resources and highlighting case examples. On Wednesday, June 6, ACHI also will host a webinar, “Leveraging Technology to Drive Population Health.” The week culminates with Hospitals Against Violence (#HAVhope) Day of Awareness [https://www.aha.org/hospitals-against-violence] on Friday. You can find out more about Community Health Improvement Week activities and download the logo and templates by visiting www.healthycommunities.org.
 
This is a great time to use social and traditional media to spotlight how your hospital or health system is helping patients and community members maintain and improve their health every day. You may have programs to address the social determinants of health. Or you may be partnering with other community stakeholders – individuals and organizations – to connect patients with the resources they need to live a safe and healthy life. We encourage you to share these initiatives and photos on social media using the hashtag #chiweek.
 
Thank you to all the community health professionals at your hospitals and health systems who are making a big impact on the health and well-being of our communities.