More than 170 leaders from across Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, and Pottawattamie Counties attended the 2018 Changemaker Summit presented by Live Well Omaha. The goal of the summit was to gather experts together to celebrate the successes of our community’s collective work as well as prioritize goals for the future. Keynote speaker Natalie S. Burke, President and CEO of CommonHealth ACTION, challenged attendees to feel “uncomfortable” while discussing current health issues among populations. She discussed privilege as it relates to health and what it looks like to approach health problems using a public health lens. Natalie stands for health equity in policies, programs, and health practices. She strives to educate people to use language that is both inclusive and positive. For example, instead of describing a population as “vulnerable,” we can describe it as “experiencing vulnerabilities.” Language alone can prevent populations from feeling weak and fragmented.
The Summit also included a panel consisting of the directors from each of the following health departments: Douglas County, Sarpy/Cass County, and Pottawattamie County. Health department leaders were transparent in areas of improvement and were excited to share with attendees several successes occurring within the departments both independently and in partnership.
Unique to the Summit this year was a presentation held by Bruce Lockwood, Vice President of the Community Health Division at PRC. Bruce shared both the adult and child findings from the 2018 Community Health Needs Assessment for the aforementioned counties. Attendees were then given the opportunity to prioritize for future community health implementation.
Overall, you could feel the room buzz with possibility, potential, and determination. The summit ignited an excitement to work together and create a plan where everyone can “live well.” Now, attendees were free to pursue a better future, armed with a plethora of data to back up their endeavors.
If your organization is interested in the difference that a PRC custom CHNA can make, reach out to us! We are happy to help.