Healthy Communities

“We need to have collaborative approaches to addressing complex community problems, especially with the shift from more traditional programming to environmental, policy, and systems changes that can have large-scale community impact.”

Maggie Jones, MPH
Director, Center for Community Health & Evaluation
 

Research overview

Health is about more than health care. Where people live can have a profound influence on daily choices that can promote population health — or harm it. Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) scientists work to improve and sustain community conditions that support health and equity.

At KPWHRI’s Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE) we are working with foundations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies to evaluate their community health improvement initiatives. A few examples:

  • Former CCHE director Allen Cheadle led a 10-year evaluation of Kaiser Permanente’s efforts to prevent obesity, including projects in more than 60 communities that promoted healthy eating and active living, largely through policy and environmental changes.
  • CCHE principal investigators Emily Bourcier and Lisa Schafer are leading an evaluation of the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) — an ambitious, multifunder initiative to improve the way changes in the built environment advance racial equity, health, and climate resilience in 6 U.S. regions.
  • CCHE leads the evaluation of several initiatives to strengthen health care safety net organizations in California, including programs addressing trauma-informed care, chronic disease management, and population health management.

CCHE serves as the evaluation partner for Kaiser Permanente Washington’s (KPWA) Community Health and Benefit program, providing evaluation and strategic support for a wide range of regional initiatives, including built environment improvements in the community, school-based health centers, and healthy eating/active living programming for teachers. Beyond CCHE, other KPWHRI researchers are exploring opportunities to improve population health by creating healthier communities. Among these efforts are:

  • Associate investigator Dori Rosenberg, PhD, MPH, is investigating how the built environment can better encourage walking and other movement, especially for older adults and those who have limited mobility.
  • Associate investigator Clarissa Hsu, PhD, led LINCC, a project that tested a new community resource specialist (CRS) role in primary care clinics at KPWA. CRSs are now part of primary care teams at all KPWA clinics. They help patients set health goals and connect them with health-promoting resources in their own neighborhoods, including YMCAs, community centers, and farmers markets.
  • Senior investigator David Arterburn, MD, MPH, and colleagues from the University of Washington and from KPWHRI including Paula Lozano, MD, MPH, Andrea Cook, PhD, Jennifer Bobb, PhD, and Dr. Rosenberg are studying characteristics of neighborhoods that are most effective in encouraging healthy habits, such as walking, biking, and eating healthy. They are studying how neighborhoods may influence long-term health outcomes.
  • KPWHRI researchers have also examined the link between diabetes prevalence and neighborhood characteristics such as home value and education levels. They have also studied how other social and environmental factors affect health.

Answering questions about what makes a healthy environment gives policymakers, urban planners, and others the information they need to create healthier communities in the future.

Recent Publications on Healthy Communities

Alegria M, Ludman E, Kafali N, Lapatin S, Villa D, Shrout PE, Keefe K, Cook B, Ault A, Li X, Bauer A, Epelbaum C, Alcantara C, Pineda TI, Tejera GG, Suarez G, Leon K, Lessios AS, Ramirez RR, Canino G. Effectiveness of the engagement and counseling for Latinos (ECLA) intervention in low-income Latinos. Med Care. 2014 Nov;52(11):989-97. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000000232. PubMed

Averill MM, Dillon-Sumner L, Stergachis A, Sconyers J, Summerside N, Brazg T, Errett N. Integrating public health students into interprofessional education. J Interprof Care. 2020 May-Jun;34(3):427-430. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2019.1690436. Epub 2019 Dec 21. PubMed

Averill MM, Dillon-Sumner L, Stergachis A, Sconyers J, Summerside N, Brazg T, Errett N. Integrating public health students into interprofessional education. J Interprof Care. 2020 May-Jun;34(3):427-430. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2019.1690436. Epub 2019 Dec 21. PubMed

Belza B, Miyawaki CE, Allen P, King DK, Marquez DX, Jones DL, Janicek S, Rosenberg D, Brown DR. Building community: stakeholder perspectives on walking in malls and other venues.  J Aging Phys Act. 2017 Jan 17:1-41. doi: 10.1123/japa.2016-0018. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Belza B, Petrescu-Prahova M, Kohn M, Miyawaki CE, Farren L, Kline G, Heston AH. Adoption of evidence-based health promotion programs: perspectives of early adopters of Enhance((R))Fitness in YMCA-affiliated sites. Front Public Health. 2015 Apr 27;2:164. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2014.00164. eCollection 2014.  PubMed

our cche team

CCHE_team_2016Aug_1-col.jpg
Much of the research in this area is conducted by our team at the Center for Community Health and Evaluation. For a complete list of these individuals, click HERE.

Researchers in Healthy Communities

Allen Cheadle, PhD

Senior Investigator, KPWHRI; Senior Research Associate, CCHE
206-287-4391
Allen.D.Cheadle@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Clarissa Hsu, PhD

Associate Investigator
206-287-4276
Clarissa.W.Hsu@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Dori E. Rosenberg, PhD, MPH

Senior Scientific Investigator
206-287-2532
Dori.E.Rosenberg@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Maricela Cruz, PhD

Assistant Biostatistics Investigator
206-287-2878
Maricela.F.Cruz@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Nicole M. Gatto, PhD, MPH

Principal Collaborative Scientist
Nicole.M.Gatto@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Meagan C. Brown, PhD, MPH

Assistant Investigator
Meagan.C.Brown@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Kimberly Arthur, MPH

Collaborative Scientist
Kim.C.Arthur@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Affiliate researchers in healthy communities

David Grembowski, PhD
Professor, Health Services and Oral Health Sciences
University of Washington