Leveraging community expertise through health system-community collaboration is necessary to effectively address the social determinants of health. This resource describes key steps in Northwell Health's journey to developing effective community partnerships and takeaways from the community perspective on how health systems can be an effective partner.
Key Steps in Northwell Health's Journey
1. Institute a culture of change. Community partners praised Northwell's equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts that prioritize people and foster an inclusive culture.
2. Establish a bi-directional partnership. Northwell established accessible lines of communication to exchange frequent updates with community. They also removed layers of bureaucracy to enable partners to use their voice and escalate community priorities to senior leadership.
3. Exercise the building & transfer of trust. Northwell trusted the community's expertise in carrying out their shared community health goals, equitably distributing decision-making power. This allowed them to quickly build and sustain trust with their community partners