United Health Foundation and State Health Officials Award Funding and Program Support to Six States to Improve Health Outcomes
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and
United Health Foundation announced that six states – Alaska, Arkansas,
Georgia, Kansas, Oklahoma and Rhode Island – will receive funding and
support to improve health outcomes in their states.
Each state will receive at least $25,000 from United Health Foundation
and training and support from ASTHO to develop an innovative
collaborative care model that will provide physician training and
facilitate best practices, based on evidence-based care standards, to
improve each state’s health outcomes in the following areas: diabetes,
infant mortality, obesity and smoking.
The states will focus on using best practices and evidence-based
approaches to improve at least two of the four health indicators: Alaska
and Kansas will focus on diabetes and obesity; Oklahoma and Rhode Island
on obesity and smoking; Arkansas on diabetes and infant mortality; and
Georgia on obesity and infant mortality.
The conditions were chosen due to each state’s prevalence as measured by
United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings: A Call to
Action. Disparities between populations in disease, health outcomes
and access to care will be addressed across all four indicators as part
of the measures for improvement.
ASTHO will also share best practices among the learning collaborative
states and others that have demonstrated success in key areas and
measure progress toward improved health outcomes. ASTHO will share the
lessons learned with other states to offer best-practice recommendations
that will lead to healthier people, families, communities, states and a
healthier America.
“Using America’s Health Rankings as a catalyst to improve health
and well-being in these six states is an example of the ingenuity and
creativity of the public health community,” said ASTHO Executive
Director Paul Jarris, M.D., MPA. “The learning collaborative is an
exciting program that will not only inspire the six state teams, it will
yield ideas and practices that all states can adapt to their needs.
ASTHO and United Health Foundation approach this new project with great
anticipation and confidence that it will be highly valuable to state and
territorial health agencies.”
“The purpose of America’s Health Rankings is to stimulate
effective and targeted action by individuals, elected officials, medical
and public health professionals, employers, educators and communities to
improve the health of their populations,” said Reed Tuckson M.D., United
Health Foundation medical adviser. “This learning collaborative will
identify key lessons from our six participating states that will benefit
not only the participants in these states, but people across the nation.
We applaud ASTHO for its leadership in bringing innovative solutions to
the fight for the healthiest possible America.”
For more information on America’s Health Rankings or the current
ranking of any state, visit http://www.americashealthrankings.org.
About ASTHO
ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization
representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S.
territories, and the District of Columbia, as well as the more than
100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO
members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are
dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and
to ensuring excellence in state-based public health practice. Web: www.astho.org;
Twitter: @ASTHO.
About United Health Foundation
Guided by a passion to help
people live healthier lives, United Health Foundation provides helpful
information to support decisions that lead to better health outcomes and
healthier communities. The Foundation also supports activities that
expand access to quality health care services for those in challenging
circumstances and partners with others to improve the well-being of
communities. After its establishment by UnitedHealth Group [NYSE: UNH]
in 1999 as a not-for-profit, private foundation, the Foundation has
committed more than $200 million to improve health and health care. For
additional information, please visit www.unitedhealthfoundation.org
About America’s Health Rankings®
America’s
Health Rankings® is an annual comprehensive assessment of the
nation’s health on a state-by state basis. It is published jointly by
United Health Foundation, American Public Health Association and
Partnership for Prevention.
The data in the report come from well-recognized outside sources, such
as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Medical
Association, FBI, Dartmouth Atlas Project, U.S. Department of Education
and Census Bureau. The report is reviewed and overseen by a Scientific
Advisory Committee, with members from leading academic institutions,
government agencies and the private sector.
America’s Health Rankings® is the longest-running report of
its kind. For 23 years, the Rankings has provided an analysis of
national health on a state-by-state basis by evaluating a historical and
comprehensive set of health, environmental and socioeconomic data to
determine national health benchmarks and state rankings. The Rankings
employs a unique methodology, developed and annually reviewed by a
Scientific Advisory Committee of leading public health scholars. For
more information, visit www.americashealthrankings.org.
Twitter: @AHR_Rankings
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmericasHealthRankings
Website:
www.americashealthrankings.org
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