Communities of solution: partnerships for population health

J Am Board Fam Med. 2013 May-Jun;26(3):232-8. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2013.03.130102.

Abstract

Communities of solution (COSs) are the key principle for improving population health. The 1967 Folsom Report explains that the COS concept arose from the recognition that complex political and administrative structures often hinder problem solving by creating barriers to communication and compromise. A 2012 reexamination of the Folsom Report resurrects the idea of the COS and presents 13 grand challenges that define the critical links among community, public health, and primary care and call for ongoing demonstrations of COSs grounded in patient-centered care. In this issue, examples of COSs from around the country demonstrate core principles and propose visions of the future. Essential themes of each COS are the crossing of "jurisdictional boundaries," community-led or -oriented initiatives, measurement of outcomes, and creating durable connections with public health.

Keywords: Connecting Communities: Public and Personal Health.

MeSH terms

  • Community Health Services / organization & administration*
  • Community Health Services / trends*
  • Conflict of Interest
  • Cooperative Behavior*
  • Drug Industry / trends
  • Forecasting
  • Health Care Reform / organization & administration
  • Health Care Reform / trends
  • Humans
  • Interdisciplinary Communication*
  • Negotiating
  • Patient-Centered Care / organization & administration*
  • Patient-Centered Care / trends*
  • Politics
  • Primary Health Care / organization & administration*
  • Primary Health Care / trends*
  • Problem Solving*
  • Public Health / trends*
  • Public Health Administration / trends*
  • United States