Community Stories

Health improvement efforts from around the country

United Way of Greater Atlanta: Data-Driven Partnerships to Increase Access to Health Care

February 27, 2015

In a community as large and diverse as Atlanta, the County Health Rankings are a valuable source of data that helps to inform the...

Where everyone chips in to improve health: How United Way of Greater Lafayette helps channel community assets

February 17, 2015

Fundraising can certainly be a challenge for community health improvement efforts, but in Tippecanoe County, IN, an interconnection of resources has proven to be...

Building a Business Case for Better Health: Allen County, OH

March 11, 2013

In Lima, OH, located in Allen County, community leaders are discovering the economic benefits of building a healthy, attractive community for residents to live...

PART II: Holmes County, Mississippi’s Ambassadors for Health

March 11, 2013

As Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only...

Part III: Collaborating to Improve Community Safety in Genesee County, Michigan

December 6, 2012

Public safety is an important component of every community’s overall health. In Flint, MI, located in Genesee County, the violent crime rate is over...

Working Together Creatively to Make the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice

September 4, 2012

Twenty years ago George Sedlacek, the Director of Community Health inMarquette County, MI, was lambasted in the local news as a “health Nazi.” Now...

Detroit, MI: Joy-Southfield Neighborhood Unites to Tackle Chronic Disease, Poverty and Other Barriers to Health

April 3, 2012

Detroit, MI, is one of the most racially segregated cities in the country, with high crime, poverty and unemployment; poor public transportation; and vast...

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...

How a Low Ranking on Health Mobilized Wyandotte County, Kansas

March 21, 2011

Wyandotte County, Kansas has made significant strides toward achieving public health since it finished in the bottom of the 2010 Kansas County Health Rankings.