This Navigator offers a wide range of resource types (e.g., articles, data tools, communications materials, toolkits, graphics) from a variety of partners including government, not-for-profit organizations, communities, businesses, etc. It highlights resources and content around the priorities of its users while advocating sound public health principles and promoting equitable approaches.

How are resources identified? 

Resources included in PHERN have been carefully selected to cover key public health topics, equity, and antiracism. When curating resources, the intention is to help build a critical understanding of a topic. Resources are selected with a bias toward action and varied in type to accommodate different learning styles. The sources include leading public health organizations and alliance members, researching institutions, and journalistic outlets. The types of resources include:

• Resources (Book; Website/webpage; Case study; Model policy; Policy brief; Journal article; Map; Guide/handbook; Report; Podcast; Webinar; Data bank/repository; Fact sheet; Plan; Legislation) to deepen understanding
• Tools (Data/mapping; Toolkit/toolbox; Workshop/training) to help users take action
• Stories (articles, videos, podcasts and other media) that give voice to a broad audience/constituency, unpack complex issues affecting people and communities, and inspire community improvement work.

Who is the audience for these resources?

Resources on PHERN are selected with public health leaders and practitioners, and decision-makers at the state, local, tribal, and community levels in mind, as well as healthcare workers; community health workers; community organizers; students, educators, school boards, districts, and administrators; researchers; data experts and analysts; community benefit professionals; and community stewards and change-makers. 

How are the PHERN Topics identified?

The initial topics selected for PHERN were identified with the goal of ending the COVID-19 pandemic, advancing equity and advancing a sustainable public health system for the future. Topics were identified through a collaborative effort with the Alliance and APHA. Within that identified list, topics were prioritized based on their importance and timeliness to Alliance members and the field of public health.

What is the curation process?

The Community Commons Team brings passion, creativity, diverse experience and deep expertise to curation for building healthier and more equitable communities. For over a decade, the Team has supported networks and change-makers through curation of leading tools and resources. Resources for PHERN were identified through three primary processes: 

1. A topic-based research process
2. Specific curation within each topic to apply an equity and antiracism lens
3. Suggestions by Alliance members and our users (Suggest a resource today!)

Once resources are identified they are evaluated against the following criteria: 

• Relevance – How useful is the asset? Is it high quality? Is it substantive? Is it something worth sharing?
• Applicability – Is the asset useful for a general audience? Is it useful for an identified target audience?
• Recency and currency – When was the asset created? How current is it? If it is outdated it isn’t as relevant.

Community Commons generally does not include assets that:

• Are time-limited and will not be useful beyond the near future point in time;
• Focus on legislation or draft legislation that tend not to be relevant for a general audience, are highly technical and change or go out of date in short order;
• Amount to an advertisement for a product, business or service and are not substantive, useful or generally relevant; or
• Are overtly political, either right or left-leaning.

How can I suggest a topic or a resource for inclusion?

We’d love to hear from you! Suggest a resource or a topic for inclusion in PHERN.