New Report Sheds Light on Efforts to Transform Regional Health

BOSTON, Oct. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ReThink Health today released its first annual report examining how multi-sector partnerships across the country are working to redesign systems that support healthy people and thriving communities. Based on 133 responses to an online questionnaire, the report, Multi-Sector Partnerships for Health: 2014 Pulse Check Findings, offers important insights, possibly for the first time, into where and when the groups were formed; who participates; the scope of their visions and approaches; key successes and challenges; and how they finance their work.  

"The responses revealed the tremendous diversity that exist in these groups," said Laura K. Landy, president and CEO of the Rippel Foundation, which founded and supports ReThink Health. "Many are very ambitious and are thinking about all of the upstream and downstream factors that affect the health of everyone in their communities, others are tackling specific areas of concern, like helping residents to stop smoking or reducing hospital readmission rates among older adults."

Among the report's key findings:

• Most of the partnerships are relatively new. Three quarters were formed in the last decade and their median age is five years.
• Most groups are operating at the county or state level. Nearly half operate at the county level and nearly a quarter at the state level.
• The sectors most likely to be engaged in these partnerships include: hospitals and healthcare providers, public health, community organizations, government and elected officials, social services, and academia/research. The sectors least likely to be engaged include: health insurance, philanthropy, and media.
• Nearly half are seeking to improve health broadly for all residents. Others aim efforts at a specific disease, risk factor, or population group. And, one-third are focused on all of four key areas: health behaviors; social, economic and educational conditions; access, quality, and/or costs; and the physical environment.

The 133 organizations illustrate the growing number of efforts in regions around the country to create health, improve care, and reduce costs. While the data reveal a diverse array of initiatives, they reported a number of common challenges faced regardless of geography, community demographics, or aspirational goals. Importantly, most groups struggle to find and secure financing they needed to support their work. Three quarters of responding organizations named financing as their most persistent challenge, with the vast majority relying on just a few, short-term mechanisms such as grants and contracts.

"Even groups with the broadest financing portfolios still tend to rely heavily on ad-hoc funding that is not long-lasting," said Jane Erickson, project director at ReThink Health. "Of the 33 possible financing mechanisms included in the questionnaire, all were used at least once, but most of the groups reported using just three or fewer to fund their work. Clearly, there are many more options that warrant exploration and it is exciting to see organizations that break the cycle of dependence and tap funding sources for long-term planning." In fact, two-thirds of respondents reported a "strong" or "very strong" emphasis on developing new ways to finance and sustain their initiatives over time.

Findings from the 2014 Pulse Check report, which was produced with joint support from the Rippel Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, may help multi-sector groups, both new and well established, figure out ways to improve their work and sustain progress.

"ReThink Health has mapped more than 130 of the regional groups around the country that are trying to improve and reform how health is achieved," said Emmy Ganos, PhD, program associate at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "One of the first steps toward building a Culture of Health in local communities across the country is understanding what is already happening out there—who is doing the work, how are they approaching and paying for the work, and where are they succeeding and running into challenges. It's exciting to have that information and to share it widely."

To read the full report and learn more about the findings, go to: www.rethinkhealth.org/pulsecheck.

About ReThink Health
ReThink Health catalyzes changemakers to reimagine and transform health. We help leaders identify and overcome the barriers to reform at a regional level, and inspire change across the country. ReThink Health was initiated by the Fannie E. Rippel Foundation, which was founded in 1953 to seed innovations in health and health care. For more information, visit: www.rethinkhealth.org.

SOURCE ReThink Health