Strong partnerships spanning an array of sectors—including public health, housing, education, transportation and others—are the bedrocks of healthy communities. How do they evolve and what makes them successful?

The Healthy North Carolina 2030 project brings together experts and leaders from multiple fields to inform the development of a common set of public health indicators and targets for the state over the next decade. These indicators will serve as the population health improvement plan for the North Carolina Division of Public Health.

"Most clinical care systems currently are not configured to address social determinants of health. Health equity, in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible...requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care.”

Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

At the peak of the pandemic, nearly half of positive COVID-19 cases in North Carolina were among Latinos, despite just being 9.6% of the population. In the absence of adequate state or federal support, a group of Latina doctors and activists is taking the community’s health into their own hands.

In the summer of 2019, ReThink Health’s Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions project began working with stewards from two regions: 1) 5 Healthy Towns Foundation, serving five adjacent small towns located in southeast Michigan, and 2) Palm Health Foundation and BeWellPBC, a behavioral health initiative in Palm Beach County, Florida. Fortunately, the multiple challenges of 2020 didn’t derail these regional partners but, instead, significantly strengthened their determination to more intentionally direct resources toward health and well-being.

This report explores Black workers in the private sector in three parts: first, their participation in the entire US private-sector economy; second, their representation, advancement, and experience in companies; and third, a path forward that includes the key challenges to address, actions companies can take, and additional actions for a wider set of stakeholders to accelerate progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).

The Durham Master Aging Plan (MAP) 2020-2025 lays the groundwork to improve support for Durham’s older adults. Durham stakeholders used a facilitated process over ten months to complete the MAP. This process involved two interconnected entities, a Steering Committee, and five working groups. This plan exemplifies one of our community's many activities that will help Durham become one of the healthiest counties in the nation. It also addresses two of Healthy Durham 20/20’s focus areas, housing, and food/nutrition, which are significant needs within this age group. The five Durham MAP Domains include:
1. civic participation/employment
2. outdoor spaces/ transportation
3. housing
4. community support & health services/older adult hunger & nutrition
5. social inclusion/ social participation/elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation

To learn more, please read the complete plan here. Details and implementation of the MAP are discussed during the Partnership for Seniors meetings on the second Thursday of every month, and all are welcome to attend and give feedback. For more information, contact Melissa Black at mblack@dconc.gov or at (919) 560-7393.

The Healthy Durham 20/20 Digest is a short, quarterly publication that highlights important health equity programs in the Durham community.

Sign up here to receive the Digest by email.

Print copies of the Digest are available in English and Spanish for free at these locations:

• Duke Regional Hospital
• Duke Health Office of Community Relations
• Latino Credit Union
• Durham Public Schools
• Durham Housing Authority
• El Centro Hispano
• El Futuro
• Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
• Durham Public Libraries
• East Durham Children's Initiative
• Lyon Park Clinic
• Walltown Neighborhood Clinic
• Holton Wellness Center

Healthy Durham 2020 holds regular sessions to solicit community input and ideas about health issues in Durham County. See our calendar for upcoming sessions.

Report: 2018 Latino Community Listening Sessions
Read in English
Leer en Español

Report: Fall 2017 Community Listening Sessions

2018 Health Summit Executive Summary

2018 Health Summit Full Report

Durham County Health Rankings Roadmap

2017 Health Summit Data

2017 Health Summit Summary Report

Johns Hopkins Effort to Promote Economic Growth in Baltimore Exceeds Expectations

Health Experts Say Raising Wages Will Create Better Health Outcomes in Minnesota | ISAIAH

Local Initiatives for Multi-Sector Public Health Action (Local IMPACT) | HealtheConnections

The ‘How To’ Guide | Collaboration for Impact

A Practitioner's Guide for Advancing Health Equity
From the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division of Community Health.

Atlanta, GA Office of Resilience: "Preparing Atlanta residents to...survive, adapt, and thrive..."

Healthiest Communities Rankings 2019 | U.S. News & World Report

Durham County Health Scores | U.S. News & World Report

Building Educational Equity Indicator Systems | The National Academies Press

Integrating Inclusivity Into Your Submission & Application Process: 7 Key Strategies | Submittable

National Day of Racial Healing | W.K. Kellogg Foundation

How University-Community Engagement Can Improve Neighborhoods | Arizona State University

Systems Change and Multi-sector Collaboration | Social Impact Exchange