Missoula Invest Health: Including Residents in the Quest for Health Equity
National Initiative for Mid-Sized Cities Aims to Leverage Community Insights to Strengthen Health and Wellbeing. Missoula embraces a bold initiative to analyze the gaps and barriers to health equity and leverage community resources to improve the lives of all residents.
by Samantha Hooley, National Press Foundation
Access to quality health care is a major concern for communities across the nation. Throughout the decades, policymakers, business leaders, philanthropies and community advocates have all proposed potential solutions, with varying degrees of success. But in 2016, the Invest Health collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Reinvestment Fund yielded an initiative focused on mid-sized American cities, aimed at amplifying the social determinants of health and how increased investments in communities can yield improved well-being for residents.
One of the flagship programs is Missoula Invest Health, located in Montana’s second-largest city and where NPF’s Covering Equitable Community Development journalism fellowship was held. The Missoula Health Initiative focuses on health equity, is resident-driven, and leverages partnerships and effective community systems and assets. Participants say the initiative has been remarkably responsive to urgent challenges in the city, including affordable housing and homelessness.
On October 8, Lisa Beczkiewicz, a health promotion manager and Missoula Invest Health team leader at the Missoula Public Health Department, was first to address the fellows. She spent the last 25 years in a leadership capacity working to develop prevention strategies that reduce health disparities. She oversees the population health programs in chronic disease, substance use, relationship violence, behavioral health and injury prevention.
Missoula City Council member, Mike Nugent, who represents Ward Four, also spoke at the session. He is the chair of the Land Use and Planning Committee, and he serves on the Missoula City County Board of Health. Prior to serving on the council, Nugent was a Commissioner on the Missoula Housing Authority Board of Directors, participating in their mission to provide quality housing solutions for low and middle-income households in Missoula.
Ashley Brittner Wells, a community engagement specialist with the City of Missoula also shared insights about how she forms connections between residents and city officials. Her outreach efforts are designed to ensure resident participation in decision-making processes like code reform. The following are key takeaways from the session:
5 Takeaways:
1. Have the tough conversations with residents
Beczkiewicz encouraged journalists and officials to prioritize being fully transparent about the goals of initiatives with residents.
“[Take] the I out of the conversation and [bring] in the we… just have the conversation,” she said.
People do not always understand why officials take certain actions when it comes to health care access, but they can be much more open to change after it is explained, she said.
Beczkiewicz referenced the Invest Health initiative’s actions to create more sidewalks and how not everyone initially embraced the project.
“I’ll never forget, one lady came up to me… and said, ‘I really didn’t like you when you came in and told me you were putting a sidewalk right in front of my house, but now I get it. And I really do want to help the kids and the people that are in wheelchairs and it’ll be good for everybody,'” Beczkiewicz said.
Residents also know what their communities need much more than analysts or policymakers.
“[Work] with the residents as leaders in their neighborhoods, because they’re really the experts of what works for health within their neighborhood settings,” Beczkiewicz said.
Transcript, resources and summary: https://nationalpress.org/topic/misso...
Speakers:
Lisa Beczkiewicz, Health Promotion Manager & Missoula Invest Health Team Leader,
Missoula Public Health
Ashley Brittner Wells, Community Engagement Specialist, City of Missoula
Mike Nugent, Ward 4 Council Member, City of Missoula
The Covering Equitable Community Development journalism fellowship was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The National Press Foundation is solely responsible for its content.
This video was produced within the Evelyn Y. Davis studios.
