--- title: Physician Leadership in Community Health Builds Healthy Communities description: Physician leadership in community health has been shown to play in important part in creating a community conducive to positive lifestyle changes. image: https://files.norcal-group.com/hubfs/senior-male-doctor-examines-patient-in-free-clinic-1016651220_600x400.jpeg --- - [Sign In](https://secure.proassurance.com?hsLang=en-us) - g Search Site [Contact Us](https://www.proassurance.com/contact-us/?hsLang=en-us): **844-466-7225** [![PRA-MMI-Logo®-RGB](https://www.norcal-group.com/hs-fs/hubfs/PRA-MMI-Logo%C2%AE-RGB.png?width=215&height=62&name=PRA-MMI-Logo%C2%AE-RGB.png)](https://www.norcal-group.com?hsLang=en-us)   - [About](https://norcal-group.com/about) - [About Us](https://norcal-group.com/about) - [Coverages](https://norcal-group.com/state) - [Claims](https://www.proassurance.com/report-a-claim/) - [Resources](https://www.norcal-group.com/resources) - [HIPAA Resources](https://proassurance.com/hipaa) - [Website Accessibility](https://proassurance.com/accessibility) - [Pay](https://www.norcal-group.com/pay) ## [Resource Library](https://www.norcal-group.com/library?hsLang=en-us) # Physician Leadership in Community Health Builds Healthy Communities March 2, 2018 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) Physicians and hospitals are beginning to build more [infrastructures focused on community health](http://www.hpoe.org/Reports-HPOE/ACHI_Survey_Report_December2013.pdf). As health care continues to adapt to an aging population and a consequential [epidemiologic transition](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5206a2.htm) from acute illness to chronic disease, [physician leadership in community health becomes an increasingly important factor in providing medical care](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5206a2.htm). > “To ultimately produce good health, we must make investments in the personal lives of our patients—understanding the communities they live in and what intersection is needed between the clinical system and changes that are easily supported by communities.” – Scott Young, MD, “[Healthy Behavior Change in Practical Settings](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206177/)” Making health outcomes sustainable requires personal lifestyle changes that can be affected in part by the environment. Health care providers have been shown to play in important part in [creating a community conducive to positive lifestyle changes](http://www.hpoe.org/Reports-HPOE/2016/creating-effective-hospital-community-partnerships.pdf). ## Closing the Gap ![senior african american male doctor showing community leadership by examining patients in a free clinic](https://files.norcal-group.com/hubfs/senior-male-doctor-examines-patient-in-free-clinic-1016651220_600x400.jpeg)[Healthcare systems are taking a more active role in their communities](http://www.hpoe.org/Reports-HPOE/hospital_based_strategies_creating_culture_health_RWJF.pdf) several ways, including the collection of community feedback, forming partnerships and organizational involvement. ### Community Feedback Conducting polls and surveys can give providers a better sense of a community’s priorities and areas of need. If you are a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt facility mandated by the Affordable Care Act to conduct a community health needs assessment every three years, you might already have access to this information. [Feedback on a community’s healthcare priorities and areas of need](https://my.rotary.org/en/document/community-assessment-tools) can be retrieved using electronic or paper surveys, community mapping, focus groups, asset inventories, interviews or community meetings. Taking the time to get feedback from consumers and gaining a better understanding of the perspectives of the community gives health care providers a unique opportunity to customize the provider-patient experience. ### Community Health Workers Community health workers (CHW) function as liaisons between health care providers and patients. They are outreach workers who are trusted members of the community, and are certified to act as lay health advisors. Community health workers can even impact cost-effectiveness when focusing on chronic diseases. As one example, during a trial aiming to improve cardiovascular health using CHWs and nurse practitioners, there was a $157 cost-reduction per patient for every 1% drop in systolic blood pressure, as well as a $190 reduction per patient for every 1% drop in diastolic blood pressure.1,2 ### Stakeholder Identification and Partnership Forming [Partnering with community stakeholders](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206177/) and forming coalitions with a common goal—better health outcomes—can allow community members to feel supported, as well as painting a positive, involved image for your practice. Stakeholders commonly include: - Businesses - Faith-based organizations - Nonprofits - Health and community centers - Law enforcement & public service officials - Community Service organizations - Schools & colleges - Military representatives ### Organizational Involvement Playing an active role in organizations or events dedicated to health will allow you to interact directly with the community you serve. Some of these may be the same organizations you choose to partner with. As a physician, you have skills and expertise that can be utilized outside of clinical care. Many boards and committees seek physicians to consult on community decisions. Here are a few options for involvement: - Project committees - In order to coordinate all of your practice’s community involvement or foundational associations, you may opt to form a project committee or volunteers - Advisory boards - Educational programs for schools - Community centers - Free clinics - Policy work & advocacy to promote local health care services - Local, state and national associations - American Cancer Society - American Heart Association - March of Dimes - YMCA - 3k, 5k and 10k runs As preventative, community-based care takes focus, [physicians can take a leading role in caring for patients outside the exam room](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3185312/). Providing quality medical care takes many different forms, and physicians have the ability to be at the forefront of branching outside of traditional care to fit the needs of a changing population. Strong health care providers and physician leadership in community health builds strong, healthy communities.   *Before engaging in providing medical care outside of your formal practice environment, ensure that you have adequate liability coverage. Many states have “charitable immunity laws” that offer some legal protections for physicians volunteering their services, but you should still contact your practice attorney, the organization you’re volunteering with or your practice’s medical professional liability insurance carrier to identify what coverage is available to you.* ## References 1. Allen J.K., Dennison C., Szanton S., Frick K.D. “[Cost-effectiveness of nurse practitioner/community health worker care to reduce cardiovascular health disparities](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23635809).” July 2014. (accessed 1/15/18) 2. CDC. “[Addressing Chronic Disease through Community Health Workers](https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/docs/chw_brief.pdf).” April 2015. 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