Community Stories

Health improvement efforts from around the country

Connecting the Dots in Fulton County, GA: Working Together to Save Lives

May 10, 2013

According to the 2013 County Health Rankings, Fulton County, Georgia ranks 29 out of 156 on overall health, yet 55,000 adults and 25,000 children...

Health Department Engages Its Neighbors to Improve Health

March 8, 2013

In Atlanta, one of the many places staff at the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness looked to improve health was in their...

Maec Waewaenon: Giving Thanks and Improving Health in Menominee County, Wisconsin

December 6, 2012

Proud of their Menominee tribal culture and history, residents and leaders in Menominee County responded to being ranked 72nd of 72 counties by redoubling...

Part II: Moving Into Action in Clare County/Central Michigan

October 12, 2012

As a result of the 2010 Public Health Summit, the Central Michigan District Health Department created the Together We Can Health Improvement Council, which...

Rockingham County, North Carolina Establishes Task Force to Identify the Root Causes of Its Poor Health Rankings, Develops Recommendations

July 11, 2011

Rockingham County, dubbed as North Carolina’s North Star, is nestled at the tip of the Northern Piedmont Triad region and cradled by the foothills...

Part I: Laying a Foundation for Addressing Obesity and Women’s Health Issues in Clare County

June 14, 2011

In Michigan, Health Director Mary Kushion seized Clare County’s poor performance in the County Health Rankings as an opportunity to host a public health...

Addressing High Rates of Obesity in Muscatine County, Iowa

March 25, 2011

Every five years, all counties in Iowa are required to perform a health needs assessment, then submit a detailed health improvement plan to the...

Part I: Collaborating to Improve Health Behaviors in Genesee County, Michigan

March 21, 2011

Kirk Smith wasn’t surprised when Genesee County’s health behaviors ranked last among Michigan’s 82 counties in the 2010 County Health Rankings.

Getting Kids and Families in Shape in Cambria County, Pennsylvania

March 10, 2011

For years in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, nonprofit organizations such as the Windber Research Institute have strived consistently to improve local and regional health conditions...

Improving the Health and Well-Being of Southeast Kansas

March 10, 2011

Nearly 180,000 people live in the nine counties of Southeast Kansas (SEK) region including Allen, Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson...