The National Prevention Strategy and the County Health Rankings
Like the County Health Rankings, the National Prevention Strategy, which was released in June 2011, recognizes that good health is shaped by more than just access to quality care. Health also depends on many other influences, including health behaviors, the environment, education and neighborhood safety—things that can help prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place.
For the first time in our nation’s history, the National Prevention Strategy presents a coordinated cross-sector plan at the federal level to improve the health of all Americans. It is comprised of four strategic directions—creating healthy and safe communities, expanding clinical and community based prevention strategies, empowering people to make healthy choices and eliminating health disparities—and seven priority areas—tobacco free living, preventing drug abuse and excessive alcohol use, healthy eating, active living, injury and violence free living, reproductive and sexual health, and mental and emotional well-being. For each of these, the National Prevention Strategy specifies actions that will be taken by federal agencies and encourages other sectors to get involved by recommending appropriate action steps for local government, businesses, educators, community leaders and individuals.
So how can the Strategy best be utilized to guide and/or inform local health improvement efforts? Here are a few suggestions to help get you started:
- Align your current work—More likely than not, your health improvement work is already compatible with the Strategic Directions or Priority Areas outlined in the National Prevention Strategy. Take some time to identify where your current work aligns with the recommendations in the Strategy and use this information as leverage in grant applications.
- Identify key partners—Like the County Health Rankings, the National Prevention Strategy identifies key partners in each sector that should be engaged in improving the health of the nation. Use the Strategy to determine whether you have the right players involved in your community, or if there are others to whom you should reach out.
- Experiment with new ideas—A lot of the National Prevention Strategy’s recommendations could be employed at the local level. Review the Strategy to develop programs or policies that could be implemented in your community.
- Compare the data—The National Prevention Strategy relies on national metrics to measure the country’s health. But you can evaluate the health of your locality by referring to the County Health Rankings. Your county’s County Health Rankings profile is a snapshot of your community’s current health status, measuring health behaviors; access to and quality of medical care; and social and economic factors such as education, income, poverty, violent crime and environmental conditions.
The National Prevention Strategy underscores the message of the County Health Rankings—where we live, learn, work and play matters to our health. By weaving prevention and well-being into the fabric of our daily lives, together we can become a healthier America.