Esther Dyson-backed nonprofit will bring support from national partners
while generating new evidence about what produces better health
August 14, 2014 – (Niagara
Falls, NY) – After a nationwide search that drew 42 applications from 26
states, Niagara Falls has been selected as one of five communities to
participate in the five-year Way to Wellville challenge. The announcement was
made today by the challenge sponsor, HICCup (Health Initiative Coordinating
Council, www.hiccup.co), a nonprofit founded by angel investor Esther Dyson to
encourage new models and markets for the production of health.
Led by Create a Healthier Niagara Falls
Collaborative, Niagara Falls will work with HICCup and a network of
partners over the next five years to produce visible improvements in five
measures of health and economic vitality. The community will receive support in
the areas of data and measurement, evidence-based health solutions, and
innovative financing strategies. Rigorous evaluation will measure the impact of
specific health initiatives, reinforced by a coordinated, community-wide
approach, while generating new insights and market opportunities for producing
health.
Mayor
Paul Dyster stated, “We are so pleased to be chosen as one of the five cities
in this extraordinary health initiative.
This will go miles in improving the quality of life for our
citizens. We look forward to
working with the HICCUP organization for the next five years and I thank all of
our Create A Healthier Niagara Falls Task Group members who are working diligently
to enhance the growth and health of Niagara Falls, NY”.
HICCup’s founder, CEO and four-person advisory board
selected the Wellville Five from a highly competitive field, beginning with 42
community applications in May and culminating in site visits to 10 finalist
communities in July and August. The group of five was selected based both on
each community’s readiness for success and on the group’s diversity in
geography, demographics, and lead organization. (See related blog post: http://hiccup.co/news/blog/hiccups-summer-vacation-the-way-to-wellville-grand-tour/)
“We were looking for five extraordinary communities – and we
found many more than that,” said Esther Dyson, HICCup founder. “This is
encouraging because the idea is not just to make a measurable difference in
five places, but to demonstrate how a comprehensive approach to health can work
and be replicated in many other communities around the country.”
“Over the next five years, Niagara Falls and four other
communities will lean in, with support from diverse stakeholders, citizens,
partners and investors, as well as shared learning, to demonstrate the impact
of multiple reinforcing health initiatives,” added Dyson. “We’ll be measuring
everything to see what makes the greatest impact: from healthier school lunches
and better housing, to early childhood education and economic development, to
active social networks and workplace wellness.”
About Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, New
York (population 49,722), led by Create
a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative and partners, aims to improve the
social determinants of health, such as transportation, housing and employment;
shift culture through greater community engagement; and address teen pregnancy,
childhood obesity and other chronic diseases by coordinating community
services. Over 50 organizations are engaged in this initiative.
About the Wellville
Five
The other Wellville Five communities are: Clatsop County, Oregon; Greater Muskegon,
Michigan; Lake County, California; and
Spartanburg, South Carolina. Each has its own focus, as described below,
but all of them, with HICCup’s encouragement, will also work to improve child
nutrition, the overall food environment, local social conditions, and the local
provision of preventive and chronic disease care.
·
Clatsop
County, Oregon (population 37,301), led by Columbia Pacific Coordinated
Care Organization and partners, will focus on chemical dependency, mental
health, access to primary care medical homes, employment, obesity and food
access, prenatal education and care, and so-called time banking, which lets
community members exchange services based on available time, skills and needs.
·
Greater
Muskegon, Michigan (population 79,275), led by Public Health – Muskegon
County, will address smoking, adult obesity, post-secondary education, and
social/emotional support, by leveraging strong partnerships with the Rotary
Club and others already collaborating in Muskegon’s “1 in 21” campaign to
become the state’s healthiest county by 2021.
·
Lake
County, California (population 63,983), led by North Coast Opportunities
and partners, will integrate preventive and clinical health services to address
obesity and other chronic physical health issues, substance abuse, and mental
and emotional health, while creating new measures to support long-term
sustainability and financing.
·
Spartanburg,
South Carolina (population 37,238), led by the Mary Black Foundation and
partners, will focus on access to care, obesity, kindergarten readiness, and
community pride – often referred to as social capital – which is linked to
health indicators and the capacity of communities to engage support for
initiatives that improve those indicators.
The Journey Ahead
To kick off the five-year health challenge, leaders from Niagara
Falls and other Wellville communities will attend HICCup’s Next Step to
Wellville conference, September 16 to 18 in Tampa, Florida. Next Step will
introduce community leaders to one another and to innovators in health data,
solutions, and financing to explore opportunities for partnerships. See: http://hiccup.co/wellville-conference/.
“HICCup and its partners will support the Wellville
communities in much the same way that a startup accelerator supports a
promising business idea and leadership team,” said HICCup CEO Rick Brush. “In
this case, the community is the startup – and the community’s product is
health.
“Just like a business startup, the community sets its
course, develops its plans, negotiates with suppliers, measures its impact, and
changes course as appropriate,” Brush noted. “Along the way, we’ll connect Wellville
communities with health and policy experts, solution providers, funders and
investors – all with an interest in testing and financing innovative health
strategies.”
About HICCup
HICCup stands for Health Initiative Coordinating Council. It
is a nonprofit supported since mid-2013 through charitable contributions from
Esther Dyson, in-kind resources, and extensive field research and development
among a growing group of guiding organizations, partners and communities.
HICCup is fiscally sponsored by New Venture Fund (www.newventurefund.org). Additional
partners, funders and collaborators are encouraged to visit www.HICCup.co and contact rick@hiccup.co.
To learn more contact Shelley Hirshberg, sbh7274@gmail.com, 716-228-8459
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