Focusing on Solid Partnerships Across Multiple Sectors for Population Health Improvement - Preventing Chronic Disease: November 2010: 10_0126

http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2010/nov/images/cover_nov10.jpg
November 2010
Volume 7: Issue 6
ISSN: 1545-1151
ESSAY
Focusing on Solid Partnerships Across Multiple Sectors for Population Health Improvement
Stephanie B. Coursey Bailey, MD, MS

Suggested citation for this article: Bailey SBC. Focusing on solid partnerships across multiple sectors for population health improvement. Prev Chronic Dis 2010;7(6). http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2010/nov/10_0126.htm. Accessed [date].


Introduction

Partnerships create a way forward when no clear solution exists and no single entity can claim the necessary expertise, authority, or resources to bring about change. Cross-sectoral partnerships are needed to mobilize community action and improve population health.

The Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) articles in this issue of Preventing Chronic Disease reveal compelling themes, issues, and recommendations for improving population health. These include many challenges, such as how to scale up successful partnership efforts (1,2), determine if and how partnership activity can be correlated with changing health metrics (1-5), expand the use of incentives for improvement (1,3,4,6), and strengthen groups’ distributive leadership and governance (1,2,4-6).


Building Blocks for Effective Multisectoral Partnerships

The MATCH articles identify characteristics that are needed to build and sustain successful partnerships: 1) social value, 2) common goals, 3) rewards and incentives, and 4) comprehensive and coordinated approaches.

According to Wei-Skillern, the driving force of social entrepreneurship is the creation of social value rather than personal or shareholder wealth (1). She describes a form of networking that leverages organizational resources and expertise to achieve greater social impact. The network approach does not necessarily require more resources; rather, the goal is to make the best use of existing resources.

Fawcett et al assert that systems require interconnectedness to support effective and sustained efforts to change conditions (7). Having common goals helps create a unified sense of mission and encourages collective engagement to improve community health. This is best realized if a comprehensive and coordinated framework is adopted, such as the 2002 Institute of Medicine (IOM) framework for collaborative public health action in communities (8). The IOM framework outlines 12 collaborative processes that can facilitate change and improvement in population-level outcomes.

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Preventing Chronic Disease: November 2010: 10_0126