Healthy Communities principles result in new collaborations and bring together a variety of community members to identify a shared vision for the community. Together these new partnerships create and implement a plan to improve community health and well-being. This process is shaped by the people who participate, by the needs that they identify and by the resources available in the community. The Healthy Communities process will look different in every community despite following the same familiar steps to get there. Healthy Communities Principles are not just about access to healthcare and the absence of disease, but broaden the definition of health to include stronger more positive social, mental, physical, economic, and environmental conditions. The SCHC approaches every community process with these principles in mind. 
Resources for learning more about Healthy Community Principles:
Healthy Community Principles effect projects around the globe. Helpful outline from the US Department of Health and Human Services. | The Healthy Community Principles include: A broad definition of “health"
Health is not just the absence of disease. Health is defined broadly to include the full range of quality of life issues. It recognizes that most of what creates health is lifestyle- and behavior-related. Other major factors are genetic endowment and the socio- economic, cultural and physical environment. Health is a by-product of a wide array of choices and factors, not simply the result of a medical care intervention. A broad definition of “community”
By using as broad a definition as possible of what makes up a community, individuals and partnerships can address their shared issues in the most fruitful way possible. Communities are inclusive and can be based on faith, perspective, land and profession, as well as being determined by geographic lines. Shared vision of community values
A community's vision is the story of its desired future. To be powerful and inspiring, a community's vision should reflect the core values of its diverse members. A vision is not just a statement on the wall - it is a living expression of shared accountability to priorities. Improved quality of life for everyone
Healthy communities strive to ensure that the basic emotional, physical and spiritual needs of everyone in the community are attended to. Diverse resident participation and widespread community ownership
In healthy communities, all people take active and ongoing responsibility for themselves, their families, their property and their community. A leader's work is to find common ground among participants, so that everyone is empowered to take direct action for health and influence community directions. Focus on “systems change”
This is about changing the way people live and work together. It is about how community services are delivered, how information is shared, how local government operates, and how business is conducted. It's about resource allocation and decision making, not just "nice" projects. Build capacity using local assets and resources
This means starting from existing community strengths and successes and then investing in the enhancement of a community's "civic infrastructure." By developing an infrastructure that encourages health, fewer resources will need to be spent on "back end" services that attempt to fix the problems resulting from a weak infrastructure. Benchmarks and measures process and outcomes
Healthy communities use performance measures and community indicators to help expand the flow of information and accountability to all citizens, as well as to reveal whether residents are heading toward or away from their stated goals. Timely, accurate information is vital to sustaining long-term community improvement. (Darvin Ayre, Gruffie Clough and Tyler Norris of Community Initiatives, LLC.)
|
