Greater Louisville Project Builds a Better City Through Better Community Health

Using the County Health Rankings framework as a model, the Greater Louisville Project released a report entitled “Building a Healthier Louisville” that looked at the health of Louisville’s residents and how those findings impact the city’s competitiveness. The report compares Louisville to 14 peer cities and found that the city ranked 10^th out of 15 cities in health outcomes. The report has helped community leaders zero in on the health behaviors, social and economic factors, and physical environment challenges they need to address to improve the community’s health.

According to Christen Boone, Director of the Greater Louisville Project, the group realized by working so diligently to improve educational attainment, they were also working on health. The strong link between education and health suggests that improving education also meant fostering better health outcomes for residents as well.  

Boone said the goal was to create a report that would show the value of breaking down silos and engaging the entire community in a conversation about community wellness.  She emphasized that the city’s business leaders, civic leaders, school officials, and community groups should pursue a “health in all policies” approach. This would mean considering how all initiatives, efforts, programs and policies impact health.

In fueling a continued dialogue, Boone said that for the next three months, the city will host discussions on ways to improve Louisville’s health.  She says she hopes to look back in 10 to 20 years and say that the County Health Rankings helped spark a movement to make Louisville a healthier and more competitive city.

• Learn more about Louisville’s “Deep Drivers of Change”
• View the Greater Louisville Project’s interactive graphic
• Act on What’s Important Guide