The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shed light on the challenges faced by the US health care system and the disproportionate impacts on specific populations, including racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, the economically disadvantaged, and the elderly. A population health approach, inclusive of infectious disease expertise and varying healthcare roles, that integrates clinical and community factors, complements traditional health care by addressing multiple determinants of health over the life course– including biology, behavior, social and economic factors, and physical environments. Redesigning our health care system to align with public health priorities would improve care, leading to higher quality, higher value care, promote equity, and improve health in the US.
The Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET), a 501(c)(3) affiliate of the American Hospital Association (AHA), will work with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to address the five strategic areas outlined in the CDC-released Cooperative Agreement that supports the integration of health care and public health through collaboration, workforce and leadership training, and evidence-based programs and services. We propose accomplishing this work through an innovative and effective partnership with allied AHA organizations, including the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL), the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE), the Association for the Health Care Environment (AHE), the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity (IFD/HE), and the Physician Alliance (PA). HRET is uniquely positioned to engage leaders from over 6,000 health care organizations, alongside the professional and occupational groups to which our partnerships with AONL, ASHE, AHE, IFD/HE, and PA grant us access. Over the next five years, HRET will move hospitals and health systems toward a future of integration that builds on their shared vision of health, protects and improves the health of populations, and strengthens the U.S. public health infrastructure.
Through our partnerships, years of experience managing successful federal projects, and combined expertise, HRET will coordinate infectious disease and population health efforts for healthcare organizations. This collaborative will strengthen public health infrastructure under one coordinated approach by increasing collaboration and thereby increasing performance, capacity, agility and resilience to meet the health needs of hospitals and health systems and their communities. The collaborative will achieve the program outcomes including: 1) dissemination and adoption or implementation of guidance, clinical guidelines, and best practices for the prevention and control of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases; 2) development and adaptation of guidance, tools, and best practices, including collecting and communicating individual expert opinions that can inform updates to existing guidance that consider the needs of specific patient populations, clinical specialties, and industry sectors; 3) providing training in CDC best practices for the broader workforce supporting the prevention and control of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases; 4) the development of integrated and cross-discipline networks for information sharing, problem-solving, and sharing of promising practices, including the development of rapid or living learning networks; and 5) increased effectiveness of strategies for improved infection prevention and control practices.
