What is a Healthy Community

What does a healthy community mean?

Community members provide leadership to assess their own resources and needs
Public health and social infrastructure and policies support health
Essential public health services are available
Communication and collaboration exists among sectors
Multiple determinants of health are considered
ALL sectors of the community are working together

A healthy community can be thought of as a place where people provide leadership in assessing their own resources and needs, where public health and social infrastructure and policies support health, and where essential public health services, including quality health care, are available.

In a healthy community, communication and collaboration among various sectors of the community and contributions of ethnically, socially, and economically diverse community members are valued.

Who should be Involved?

We need community members (citizens): The power of citizens should not be underestimated; nobody understands a community better than those who live, work and play within that community. The Healthy Communities approach mobilizes community members giving them a chance to become active participants in community health programs, providing them with a voice and giving them increased control over their own health and well-being.

Organizations are another essential component of the Healthy Communities model because they have the technical expertise and resources needed to solve community problems. This is an opportunity for organizations to connect with each other, combine resources and reduce duplication of effort leading to more sustainable programs and services.

Leaders are important: Leaders are often champions that are very knowledgeable and passionate about a community issue, in this way they act as strong advocates for change.

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