When Bechara Choucair was a young doctor, he learned an important lesson: treating a patient for hypothermia does little good if she has to spend the next night out in the freezing cold. As health commissioner of Chicago, he was determined to address the societal causes of disease and focus the city's resources on its most vulnerable populations. That targeted approach has led to dramatic successes, such as lowering rates of smoking, teen pregnancy, breast cancer mortalities, and other serious ills.
InPrecision Community Health, Choucair shows how those successes can be replicated and expanded around the country. The key is to use advanced technologies to identify which populations are most at risk for specific health threats and avert crises before they begin. Big data makes precision community health possible. But in our increasingly complex world, we also need new strategies for developing effective coalitions, media campaigns, and policies. This book showcases four innovations that move public health departments away from simply dispensing medical care and toward supporting communities to achieve true well-being.
The approach Choucair pioneered in Chicago requires broadening our thinking about what constitutes public health. It is not simply about access to a doctor, but access to decent housing, jobs, parks, food, and social support. It also means acknowledging that a one-size-fits-all strategy may exacerbate inequities. By focusing on those most in need, we create an agenda that is simultaneously more impactful and more achievable. The result is a wholesale change in the way public health is practiced and in the well-being of all our communities.
Front Cover
About Island Press
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Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Introduction
1. Public Health in Chicago and Beyond
2. Learning the Hard Way
3. Building Coalitions
4. Tapping the Power of Big Data
5. Rise above the Noise
6. Challenge the Status Quo
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
Island Press - Board of Directors
“Bechara skillfully draws from history and his personal experience to capture today’s public health issues in a way that appeals to both seasoned veterans and those who are new to the subject. He rightfully elevates the importance of community partnerships to the same level as data and policy initiatives, highlighting the role that cities play as innovation labs for the broader field of public health.”
