Health impacts everything, from how well our children do in school to how productive our workforce is. When the health of one part of the community suffers, everyone suffers.

Overview

What is Hometown Health Improvement?

Hometown Health Improvement is a community-driven initiative created to improve the health and quality of life in Arkansas. It was launched by the Arkansas Division of Health to help communities address their unique health needs.

Residents of Baxter County see the health care system changing rapidly and dramatically. We also see our friends and neighbors getting sick, being injured and dying from illnesses that could be prevented. Yet we alone do not have the resources to address these concerns. Community members working together, however, do have the power to improve the health of our community. This initiative brings together members of our community to identify health challenges and develop and implement ways to solve them.

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What does Hometown Health Improvement offer our community?

It offers a locally owned and locally controlled initiative. The Arkansas Division of Health provides leadership and technical assistance through our local health unit to help us:

• Develop and sustain broad-based community partnerships
• Assess the health of our community and identify the things that could threaten that health
• Collect and interpret data that reflects the health of our community
• Decide which challenges to address and how
• Link needs to resources
• Carry out plans to address challenges
• Measure progress and show solutions are paying off

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How can our community benefit from Hometown Health Improvement?

The initiative offers an opportunity to bring together community members, public and private organizations, and businesses to identify and address issues in a collaborative manner. Each community is different so the results of each project will be different.

If the people in our community work together on this initiative we could:

• Improve the health and quality of life in our community
• Decrease the number of days workers are absent from work due to illness
• Reduce the number of days school children are absent because of illness
• Help sell our community as a healthy place to live
• Reduce preventable illnesses and injuries
• Use available health care resources more efficiently
• Better coordinate community health services
• Address specific health challenges identified by the community
• Improve on challenges related to social issues such as teenage drinking and child abuse
• Reduce health care cost

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Who in the community should participate in Hometown Health Improvement?

The health of the community is a responsibility shared by everyone in that community. Hometown Health Improvement needs a wide range of people and organizations, including consumers, business leaders, health care providers, elected officials, religious leaders, citizens, students and educators. Everyone in the community has something to contribute.

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What does the project require of our community?

Creating a healthy community depends on the commitment of those who live there. It requires sharing resources to support common goals. Success occurs when partners are committed to addressing a shared challenge that cannot be met by working alone.

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How can I receive more information about Hometown Health Improvement?

To receive more information about how you can improve the health of Baxter County, contact:

Judy Cochran, LHU Administrator
Baxter County Health Unit
P.O. Box 308 / 206 Bucher Drive; Mountain Home, AR 72653
Phone: 870-425-3072 or Email: Judy.Cochran@arkansas.gov

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Mission Statement

Provide leadership, guidance, and technical assistance to the local HHI leader to develop Hometown Health Improvement Initiative locally owned and controlled and are working to improve the health of the citizens. Provide Hometown Health Improvement leadership in the region.

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Vision Statement

Empowered local communities taking ownership of health problems and identify and implement solutions that improve the health of the citizens.

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Guiding Principles

Hometown Health Improvement is a locally owned and locally controlled initiative that stresses:

• Collaboration
• Coalition building
• Community health assessment
• Prioritization of health issues
• The development and implementation of community health strategies that are locally designed and sustained

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