Organizing for Health Prepares for Healthy South Carolina Training
Organizing for Health Prepares
for Healthy South Carolina Training
Organizing for Health is catalyzing and supporting an action-research project that seeks to improve and transform the health of the community located in zip code 29203 in Columbia, South Carolina. Unlike traditional public health campaigns, this project uses organizing to empower the multiple constituencies, including citizens, payers and providers, to develop a campaign strategy to improve health outcomes as well as the quality of care while lowering costs.
In the past six months, OfH has coached and supported this effort through town hall meetings, trainings, and outreach campaigns. It has recruited and developed a core leadership team that holds responsibility for the campaign, while also steadily building a web of new leaders. In October and November of 2011, the campaign reached 750 people in six weeks through 45 house meetings; and 180 community members attended a Community Issues Assembly to collectively decide on the campaign strategy.
Now, Organizing for Health expects to train 100 new leaders at the end of the month, allowing this campaign to significantly expand across all constituency teams. This expanded base of leadership will allow Healthy Columbia to build for its official campaign launch on March 3, 2012.