Priority Area #4: Community Health

Goal: The Department will distinguish itself and be recognized nationally for integrating community health into family medicine practice, training, and scholarship.

Objective 1: We will serve as an academic partner with community agencies and public health entities in the development of community-responsive services to improve health equity and reduce health care disparities

Strategies:

1.1 We will provide measures of health outcomes to our practices and our partners.

1.2 We will work with UMass Memorial Health Care and UMass Chan Medical School to collaborate with central Massachusetts health departments, strengthening efforts to improve the health of central Massachusetts communities.

1.3 We will work in true partnership with the community to create healthy communities.

Objective 2: We will integrate training in population health concepts and the application of community health strategies within clinical practice as we create patient-centered medical homes

Strategies:

2.1 We will develop web-based practice tools to disseminate existing population health data and outcomes within the communities where we train and practice.

2.2 We will strengthen community health training along the continuum of education from predoctoral to faculty development, with particular emphasis on service-learning, advocacy and community engagement.

2.3 We will expand global health initiatives and training, with emphasis on care to populations, cultural immersion and language training.

Objective 3: We will serve as an academic partner for ForHealth Consulting to establish and evaluate innovative and sustainable models of health care for diverse and vulnerable populations

Strategies:

3.1 We will develop an expanded academic relationship with community health centers in conjunction with the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.

3.2 We will partner with the MassAHEC Network, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to obtain, collect, and analyze data related to the Commonwealth’s clinician workforce.

3.3 We will develop and host an academic consortium for correctional health.