Blazing the Trail: National and Regional Convergence for Healthy People in Healthy Places

Amanda M. Navarro, Associate DirectorJenné Johns, Senior Associate

PolicyLink, Program Director, Convergence Partnership

PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing economic and social

equity by Lifting Up What Works. ®

Program Director

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Steering Committee

The Convergence Partnership is a collaborative of six major funders and the CDC engaged in

multi-field, equity-focused, policy and environmental change efforts to achieve healthy people and healthy places.

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Steering Committee

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation• Nemours• W.K. Kellogg Foundation• Kaiser Permanente• The California Endowment• Kresge Foundation• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(Technical Advisors)

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ParksSidewalksGrocery StoresFinancial InstitutionsBetter Performing

SchoolsGood Public

Transportation

Fast Food RestaurantsLiquor StoresUnsafe/Limited ParksPoor Performing SchoolsIncreased Pollution and

Toxic Waste SitesLimited Public

Transportation

Communities of Opportunity

Low- Income Communities

Good Health Status

Poor Health Status

contributes to health disparities:

ObesityDiabetesAsthma

Infant mortality

Place Matters

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• Policy impacts the economic, social, physical and services environments

• Policies not traditionally thought of as health policies (transportation, land use, education, economics) impact health and obesity rates.

Policy Matters

Goal

Accelerate and amplify efforts to create environments that support healthy people in healthy places

Vision

Healthy People Living in Healthy Places

This vision will be realized when all neighborhoods, schools, preschools and

workplaces offer fresh, local, healthy food and safe places to play and be active.

This requires the broad expertise and influence of funders, advocates, and practitioners

working across multiple fields to create healthy environments.

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Strategies

Equity-focused

Environmental and Policy Change

Multi-field Partnerships

CONVERGENCE

National Policy Initiatives

Access to Transportation– Federal Transportation

Reauthorization

Access to Healthy Foods– National Healthy Food

Financing Initiative– Farmers’ market access for

those receiving federal food assistance

– Influencing the 2012 Farm Bill

Federal Policy Advocacy– Health Reform– ARRA Community Grants– Sustainable Communities– Healthy People 2020– Child Nutrition

Reauthorization

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Building the Field Locally and Regionally

• Access to Physical Activity – Violence Prevention-Healthy Eating Active Living Project– Joint Use in School Yards

• Philanthropic Initiatives– Innovation Fund– Regional Convergence

• Promote and support connections in the field• Increase and leverage investments to expand the intensity,

reach and number of efforts focused on policy and environmental change

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National Partner Portfolios and Regional Convergence

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Regional Convergence Structure

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Funder Funder

Nonprofit

Funder

Funder Funder

Funder Funder Funder

Advocates &

Practitioners Across

Fields

Project Director

Fiscal Agent

National Model

Colorado Model Michigan Model

HPHPInvestments & Activities

HPHPCommunity

Projects HPHPInvestments & Activities

Funder

Community Leaders & Constituent

s

Regional Convergence Goals

• Build new connections, leadership and capacity

• Seed, strengthen and leverage work in regions

• Help practitioners, advocates, foundations and communities maximize their efforts

• Stimulate resources for specific issues of local concern

• Increase possibilities and momentum for comprehensive policy change

Convergence Partnership Support

• Facilitated relationships across regions and with the national partnership

• Provide technical guidance, resources, and mentoring to regional conveners and program directors

• Provide communications strategies that help regions build the case for convergence and to recruit partners

• Help to identify, connect, and build momentum for policy change efforts at the regional, state, and national levels

• Conduct regional and national convenings

Strategies & Approaches

• Community Engagement & Indigenous Leadership Building– Policy & Equity Leadership Taskforces or Commissions– Community Investment Councils– Youth engagement (photovoice projects) & workforce development

• Silobusting– Creating multi-field, multi-sector partnerships and bridging myriad of

community place-based initiatives

• Decision-making– Developing RFPs that require health equity component– Focus investments on underserved communities or to CBOs that

are led by people of color– Providing funding in community organizing and advocacy

Achievements

• Widespread buy-in and commitment to convergence principles and approach

• Creation of a collective identity• Stimulated action by funders, particularly in

moving towards policy change• Emerging funder leadership• Peer-to-peer mentoring— “Twosies and

threesies”

Building the Ship While We Sail It

We continue to strengthen and refine our strategies to:

• Build a strong, long-term collaboration structure• Determine policy targets and priorities• Move from framing to action and build capacity to

do so• Identify strategies for promoting equity and multi-

field partnerships• Cultivate leadership

Tools

Policy Briefs– Promising Strategies for Creating Healthy

Eating and Active Living Environments– Recipes for Change: Healthy Food in

Every Community – Fostering Physical Activity for Children and

Youth: Opportunities for a Lifetime of Health

The Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Reform

Communications and Evaluation

Communications• Strategic communications plan• Message guide• Logo & tagline• Online and in-person communications activities

Internal & External Evaluations• “The Whole is Greater than the Sum of Its Parts”• Federal Policy efforts• Regional Convergence• Innovation Fund

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THANK YOU!

Amanda M. Navarro, DrPH, MPHamanda@policylink.org

Jenné Johns, MPHjenne@policylink.org

Convergence Partnershipwww.convergencepartnership.org