Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Culture of Health

Building a culture of health means ensuring all people have the opportunity to live productive, healthier lives. Hospitals and health care systems have an important role in this work. Key for hospitals is conducting a community health needs assessment to pinpoint community priorities and identify partnerships to address them. The Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence guide Hospital-based Strategies for Creating a Culture of Health describes a framework, outlines process and outcome measures and includes case studies. For example, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, in Lewiston, Maine, has provided education to hundreds of low-income youth with garden-based job training and leadership programs. Spartanburg (S.C.) Regional Healthcare System is improving access to primary and specialty care for community residents. John C. Lincoln Health Network in Phoenix, Ariz., facilitates affordable housing, homeowner rehabilitation and commercial development.

HPOE.org has two infographics on hospital approaches to building this culture and hospital priorities identified in community health needs assessments.

Other resources on population health featured on HPOE.org include:

• The Second Curve of Population Health
• Second Curve of Population Health infographic
• Trends in Hospital-based Population Health Infrastructure
• The Role of Small and Rural Hospitals and Care Systems in Effective Population Health Partnerships
• Managing Population Health: The Role of the Hospital