Such community problems as violence, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse will be resolved when businesses, hospitals, local governments, school boards, churches and police departments work together. This manual offers guidelines on how these interests can collaborate with one another.

Organizing the Effort. Convening the Community. Creating a Shared Vision. Assessing Current Realities and TrAnds. Action Planning. Doing the Job. Monitoring and Adjusting. Case Study One: Aiken, Growing Into Life. Case Study Two: Chicago, Bethel New Life. Case Study Three: Mesa Country, Healthy Community 2000. Case Study Four: Orlando, Health Communities Initiative. Appendix A: Survey Questions. Appendix B: Capacity Inventory. Appendix C: Logic Model. Appendix D: Sample Action Plan in Progress.

Many of today?s toughest problems?violence, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, crime?can be solved only through the collaborative efforts of community leaders. Collaborating to Improve Community Health is the first resource that shows how key players from local governments, businesses, healthcare organizations, school boards, churches, and police departments can be turned into a team, working together to make their communities better places to live, work, raise families, and grow old. The editors have gathered the accumulated wisdom of top consultants and practitioners and share with us the experiences and accomplishments of these experts who have worked to improve communities in over fifty partnerships across North America. A useful, hands-on tool, Collaborating to Improve Community Health contains a wealth of resources including worksheets, guidelines, overhead slides, and case studies, all designed to help every community implement a workable plan of action. This workbook also guides you through the Seven Core Processes, a synthesis of interrelated activities and events in which all collaborative efforts engage. Collaborating to Improve Community Health will help communities gain insight into the collaborative process jump-start community efforts with new strategies and initiatives understand and work through the action steps of each Core Process craft more effective partnerships create healthier and safer places to live