According to this week's guest, there is a direct and unbreakable connection between the time we have as individuals to use each day and the broader health of our communities. All right, that doesn't sound like an earth-shattering observation, especially to listeners of this show.

But, if that's the case, if we understand clearly that our communities are only as healthy as the members who contribute to it, then why are so many of our communities sick?

This week, Carrie Fox sits down with Dr. Jean Accius, President and CEO of Creating Healthier Communities (CHC), to discuss just what it means to build healthier and more equitable communities. As Dr. Accius notes, “The work that we’re doing is about addressing these gaps because what it means is that it’s shortening people's ability, their time to contribute to their family, to their communities, and to our broader economy."

And make no mistake, it is the broader economy that is at stake. Social determinants of health and our ability to address them connect every one of us to keystone issues: who gets access to affordable health care? How do we approach the pressing mental health crisis facing our youth? What do we do when we look at communities directly impacted by climate change without access to health resources?

Carrie and Dr. Accius explore strategies for assessing and responding to the unique needs of different communities through strategic partnerships and deep listening. “Let’s take the time to get close and understand what our people are saying ... in terms of to what extent we are supporting their total well-being,” explains Dr. Accius. 

We face challenges. But we hope you find after listening to this conversation that there is hope. There is hope for cross-sector collaboration and truly human-centered innovation across the healthcare landscape. There is hope for connection between and across communities to lift one another toward change. There is hope that the louder organizations like CHC call for change, the more we will rise to the challenge of building community health improvements through connection, compassion, and collective action.

Our great thanks to Dr. Accius and CHC for making this conversation possible.

• (00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

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Now Available! More Than Words: Communications Practices of Courageous Leaders by Carrie Fox, founder and CEO of Mission Partners, is available. You're invited to join an emerging community of practice and become a positive and powerful agent of change.