Evaluate Actions

Start by taking stock. Consider the challenges you face. Identify your strengths, assets, and resources. Ask if there are some who face challenges that others do not.

Decide which problem(s) to tackle. Without focus, all issues seem equally important. Taking time to set priorities will ensure that you direct your community’s resources to the most important issues.

Evidence matters. Selecting and implementing policies and programs that have been shown to work in real life and that are a good fit for your community will maximize your chances of success.

Move to action. Since there are no “one size fits all” blueprints for success, communities build on strengths, leverage available resources, consider unique contexts, and respond to unique needs.

Ongoing evaluation of your efforts helps you know if what you’re doing is working the way you intended and achieving the results you desire.

Working together is at the heart of making meaningful change. Every community is different, and as a result, efforts to improve health will vary. However, there is one constant we know: when people work together with a shared vision and commitment to improve health and ensure everyone has fair and just opportunities to thrive, it can yield better results than working alone.

Effective communication throughout each step in your journey to create a healthy and equitable community is essential for your efforts to be successful. What you say, how you say it, and to whom can motivate the right people to take the right action at the right time. How will you get your most important messages to the people who influence your work?