Beaumont Healthy Communities

Today, our nation faces a crisis due to the burden of chronic disease. Nearly 50% of Americans live with at least one chronic illness and treatment of people with chronic conditions accounts for more than 75% of the $3.3 trillion spent annually on medical care in the United States.

Chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, obesity and arthritis affect work, family and overall quality of life. These “diseases of lifestyle” can be prevented or reversed through promotion of healthy lifestyles – a national health priority and top priority at Beaumont Health.

In 2022, Beaumont conducted a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) for the geographic areas of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties where 80% of its patients reside. This process included interviews and focus groups along with data analysis of more than 100 health indicators. The CHNA identified priority health needs based on:

Moving forward, each of the eight Beaumont hospitals will focus on three CHNA identified health priorities:

Beaumont has developed implementation strategies to effectively impact these chronic conditions. Research suggests there is a strong connection between “place” and health, and that the best way to impact chronic disease is by improving conditions in communities that make healthy eating and active living easier, safer and more accessible. Beaumont’s deep commitment to improving community health was a catalyst for Healthy Communities as a key strategy toward improving healthy eating and active living in our communities.

ABOUT HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

To address the alarming trend in chronic disease, Beaumont is partnering with key community stakeholders to improve health one community at a time.

Healthy Communities is a place-based initiative that encourages residents to lead healthier lives - and provides resources to help. Its integrated framework coordinates primary healthcare, public health and community interventions; and emphasizes a shared responsibility for community health, while encouraging residents to take active roles in their own health.

Each Healthy Community is a partnership between Beaumont, the city’s mayor and the city’s public school superintendent. Individual Healthy Communities feature formalized coalitions with membership including residents and representatives of local government, schools, business, health care, social service, faith based and other community organizations. Coalition members work collaboratively to optimize the reach of existing programs; and support development of new programs, events and land use that promote healthy living in their community.

Four guiding principles drive strategies for improvements within Healthy Communities:

• Address community health needs through partnerships.
• Implement large scale interventions in multiple settings.
• Reach diverse population groups in order to promote health equity.
• Make interventions sustainable.

The Healthy Communities philosophy maintains that sustainable change must come from the ground up. Because each community has its own distinct culture and resources, coalition members develop programs and strategies to fit the unique needs and assets of their own community. The coordinated, collective impact approach taken by each coalition allows individual members to have a greater influence on the health of their community than they would achieve by acting individually.

How to Partner with Beaumont Healthy Communities

Beaumont Healthy Communities is proud to partner with community stakeholders in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. A total of seven established Healthy Communities coalitions (Dearborn, Taylor, Trenton, Wayne, Westland, Farmington-Farmington Hills and Grosse Pointe-Harper Woods) consists of 13 municipalities including: Dearborn, Taylor, Trenton, Wayne, Westland, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Shores, Grosse Pointe Woods and Harper Woods. For more information on how your community can partner with Beaumont Healthy Communities please contact Quentin Moore at Quentin.Moore@beaumont.org