Health at work and community tightly linked: New employer engagement tool

Health at work and in the community is tightly linked. Unhealthy communities can compromise employer investments to improve employee health and productivity and present an economic barrier to product consumption and economic investments.

A healthy community, on the other hand, may be more desirable to live and work and therefore, good for business. For several years the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) has facilitated engagement between employers and community stakeholders in population health improvement strategies. NBCH has supported community health grant projects, provided technical assistance, and developed educational materials for business coalitions and partners.

This newly-developed engagement tool helps coalitions partner with local employers and other stakeholders to improve health in their communities. It includes:

• Assessment of an employer’s priorities and why they might want to participate in community-level health improvement activities
• Results from County Health Rankings, ranked by local opportunities for improvement relative to the national average
• Potential next steps and resources
• Employer case studies
• Financial impact analysis framework and calculator

More information, including links to the tool and an informational webinar, is available here. This project was conducted with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings and Roadmaps Program. The tool was developed by Discern Health.