10 Essential Public Health Services
4. PARTNERSHIP
Strengthen, support, and mobilize community partnerships to improve health
Public Health convenes and fosters collaborative partnerships across sectors and communities to advance vital community conditions. These partnerships extend to key sectors like education, housing, transportation, and planning and are often rooted in common interests and values. They may involve resource or infrastructure sharing. Nurturing these partnerships equips Public Health to cultivate local networks for collective action and extend its impact.
Equity & Systems
Cross-sector partnerships help Public Health achieve systems-level impact, cultivate belonging and civic muscle, and build community power. This is especially true when partners:
- Acknowledge and seek to balance power issues
- Commit to principles of co-design
- Invest in building long-term community relationships
Public Health in Action
Public Health leverages partnerships to help address complex health and well-being issues and reach priority populations. For example, Public Health may convene a partnership with housing authorities, healthcare providers, community residents, and others to improve humane housing conditions. Such partnerships facilitate collaboration to collect data, create policy, implement interventions, and more.
Priorities
Show up as an authentic, reliable, and accountable partner and work to build trust over the long-term
Join and support community efforts and cross-sector partnerships
Engage communities in co-design of health improvement strategies
Reflection Questions
- What do partnerships allow Public Health to do that it could not do alone?
- How can Public Health advance equity through partnership practices?