Based on ACH work to date, ACHs typically contain the following key elements:
Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Health inequities and disparities have been shown to harm individuals, families, communities, and our nation. ACHs need to consider how their interventions will impact the health of all within their community.
Cross-sector partnerships are at the center of a successful ACH. Engagement with healthcare and non-health care partners to address health inequities deepens the impact the ACH will have throughout the community.
Governance is the cornerstone to all successful ACHs. Without a committed and strong leadership group in place, an ACH will find it difficult to create an aligned vision and the structures needed to sustain an ACH and affect lasting change.
To make a lasting change in their community, an ACH needs to work closely with members of the community to identify targeted needs and how best to address them. Unfortunately, community engagement is often overlooked when community collaborations and interventions are created.
ACH sites need to decide on a portfolio of interventions for addressing the community’s targeted health issue(s). Recognizing that no single intervention, program or policy will improve community health alone, a portfolio is needed that brings together a range of strategies from the clinical setting to the community, which work together to achieve the desired outcomes.
Successfully gathering, using, and sharing data within an ACH is crucial to the site’s success. Gathering reliable data ensures that each ACH will measure and understand where their community is in the development phase of the ACH and whether the interventions they are providing are making an impact in the communities they serve.
ACHs need to make plans to ensure the sustainability and continuation of their work after the initial funding. Ultimately, the goal should be to ensure ongoing funding from diverse sources to progress community health and health equity.