Get Social: get involved to establish healthy communities and environment
Goal: to help you engage in your social environment and health ecosystem in order to achieve Optimal Wellness and healthy community
Taking care of you is a good start, but addressing more far-reaching healthcare issues, like hospital-acquired infections is important, too. Only by taking ownership by engaging locally with neighbors and nationally on larger concerns can we drive excellent outcomes and improve the healthcare system.
Get Social provides activities and tools you can use to affect positive change in our healthcare system. It’s designed to help you assess the health of your environment, explore healthcare facilities in your community also includes information and tools to assess the health of your environment and engage the stakeholders.
Whether you are motivated by making sure that the health care services you get are the best for you or by desire to improve our health care system, making your health care environment work for you is of great importance. How healthy is your environment? You can learn about and work for quality health care services in your community. Whether you are healthy or suffer from a chronic condition, or care for an elderly frail parent, there are lots of things that you can do to improve your health and contribute to the health of our health care system. Every time you use health care services you may contribute to solving the health care problem. Working to improve your healthcare is a team effort and requires you engage with others to achieve your goals. The engagement options listed vary and relate to broad goals.
Get the facts about the health of your community
Salutogenesis, the process of health creation, is dedicated to the creation of optimal health in each individual. Salutogenesis focuses on maximizing your health potentiality rather than focusing on pathogenesis, the process of disease creation.
Did you know that your environment has a big impact on your health? The Evidence: Prosperity Depends on Our Health. Our Health Depends on Where We Live. Where we live, work and play directly impacts our health. With so much at stake, getting facts is a good place to start.
Take action:
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Learn about the ways your health is influenced by local factors: The County Health Rankings Project, Citizens4health Community Assessment Initiative
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Learn about community health programs: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Learn about the ranking of your state overall: United Health Foundation
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The County Health Rankings Project
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Learn about healthcare quality of services provided in your community
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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
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Develop an action plan to achieve improved health for your community
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Work your action plan and assess your progress regularly
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Identify stakeholders and partners
Make your voice heard, participate in the conversation
Let your voice be heard!
Local and national events are great opportunities to express your concerns about the healthcare services as well as the health of the community.
Take action:
Talk back to the media: FAIR- contact information , FAIR-communicating with journalists
Congress.org- respond to editorials, blogs, articles
Share Your Story
Have form for uploading
Your personal experience with health care issues, your memories of loved ones with the disease, can fuel change in Washington. Share your story with US, and we'll make sure your lawmakers take the time to listen.
We're collecting your stories to highlight the challenges and potential solutions that will make our healthcare better.
See example of letter/form
Share with Friends and Neighbors
Share your knowledge and passion with your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors
Tell a Friend
Start a petition
Organize a house gathering
Organize and run a local meeting about health care and advocate for needed changes in the local and national healthcare institutions.
Start or join a house meeting to discuss how to improve health care.
Identify and collaborate with individuals and groups who share your vision.
Get involved with the local stakeholders
Improving the health of your community will require collaboration with the various individuals and organizations that play a role in providing services.
Contact leaders at the healthcare institutions:
Take action to engage the stakeholders: The County Health Rankings Project
Search the organizations report to learn more of their activities: Guidestar
Reach out to the healthcare leaders
For each suggested activity,
Research the mission of healthcare stakeholders in your community hold them accountable for their goals
Meet with leaders of healthcare institutions in your community
Find out about the board meetings
Send letter to board members
Send letter to CEO of the hospital
Check out our list of questions to ask, including:
Who is active in these organizations?
How is the quality of services?
Who has access to these services?
Make your environment healthy
Making your environment healthy
Learn about Optimal Health Care in your environment
Identify needed public involvement to provide a safe environment for Optimal Health
Learn where your community is ranked
Provide a link for information about health care in you area
Assessment of My Health Care Environment: link to community assessment
Demand Accountablity and Transparency
Demand Accountablity and Transparency
Work with regulators -- become a watchdog. If you have a complaint about the quality of the medical care you or a loved one received at a hospital, first contact your hospital's patient advocate. Inform regulatory agencies of any wrongdoing or your concerns about the healthcare services provided in your. Contact politicians and regulatory agencies.
Take action:
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Demand accountability and transparency: Citizens4health
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Public reporting best practice
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Contact regulatory agencies: Medicare , State Insurance Departments , The Joint Commission , Medicare Fraud and Abuse
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Start a petition: Citizens4health
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Having the health care services that meet your needs
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Understand the health care system and resources available for you
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Learn about how to make your healthcare institutions optimal
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Advocate for services needed in the community and are accountable
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Identify stake holders in your health care environment
Check up for your local health care team
1. Primary care doctor
2. Specialists
3. Emergency room
4. Hospital
5. Nursing home and long term care
6. Pharmacy
7. Emergency Medical Services (EMS)