Achieving population health in communities is a process that requires culture building, tapping into external resources, and developing staff capacity. Health departments must thoughtfully involve the community in their work to develop a population-based approach to identify and improve local health outcomes. It’s also critical that public health departments build a culture of population health within their own walls by embracing internally the policies, such as annual flu vaccinations, they promote externally.

Data, community partnerships, and a deep understanding of local social determinants of health are critical to public health departments successfully engaging in population health efforts and initiatives. Public health departments can begin working towards population health by:

• Planning efforts alongside public health staff and community members
• Creating committees and coalitions to align health goals and mobilize efforts
• Encouraging and facilitating a learning environment
• Determining capacity gaps and developing staff to fill them