Communities in Action
Pathways to Health Equity
Opportunities for the Business Sector
For example:
Disparities like these stem from systems and structures that make it a lot harder for poor people to live healthy lives. Health inequities are a problem for us all, adversely affecting our nation’s children, our business efficiency and competitiveness, our economic strength and national security, and our standing in the world.
Communities are able to take action on the factors that shape health, but they can’t do it alone. Community-based solutions rely on multi-sectoral collaborations ensuring varied approaches to improving community health equity and well-being. A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine offers promising approaches for promotion of health equity. What is the role of the business sector?
A healthy, productive workforce
is a prerequisite to a thriving
economy.
The work businesses do to
promote health equity (e.g., through
workplace wellness and safety and as
producers of goods and services in
their communities) can stabilize and
strengthen the U.S. economy.
Work done to promote health
equity enhances the reputation
of a business.
When pursued
systematically, efforts to promote
health equity in the community are
seen as being “good for business.”
Businesses can attain cobenefits
in partnership with other
community actors.
Practicing a
shared values approach places profit
and sustainability and social benefit in
a mutually reinforcing relationship.
Businesses can affect health in many ways.
They are payers, who may offer
health care benefits to employees. They’re employers, who have a role in ensuring
workplace health and safety. They may promote sustainable technology or fund
public health-promoting efforts through their philanthropy. An emphasis on health
care, workplace wellness, and corporate and social responsibility can promote
health equity.
Businesses can focus on health beyond the factory or office walls.
A
recent report by the Vitality Institute highlighted links between an unhealthy
workforce and the communities in which those workers live. That report called for
communities and businesses to work together and for employers to “use market-driven
solutions to create shared value and address health disparities.”
Business leaders and community leaders can collaborate.
When both
groups—who are concerned about worker productivity, economic vitality, and
political stability—work together effectively, meaningful improvements in health
equity can take place.
Community-driven solutions can take into account the range of factors that contribute to health inequity in the United States, such as income and wealth or employment. These factors are the social determinants of health. The Mandela MarketPlace example below works in the areas of physical environment, employment, income and wealth, and social environment.
Mandela MarketPlace, based in West Oakland, CA, works with local residents, community-based businesses, and family farmers to create sustained economic development by investing in a host of local solutions to food system challenges.
Mandela’s programs work to increase food security, expand local employment opportunities, and build wealth for individuals and the community.
One example is the Mandela Foods Cooperative, a grocery store operated by worker-owners of color in the community. Half of the produce sold is sourced from local farmers, who in turn are members of the Mandela Foods Distribution Network.
This model works to improve local workforce development by hiring and training local residents and supporting local farmers. Residents, farmers, business owners, and entrepreneurs benefit through opportunities to earn better incomes, expand customer bases, and receive training and microfinance loans.
Since its founding, Mandela has made available more than 600,000 pounds of produce—mostly sustainably grown—in food insecure communities, with 76 percent of community shoppers reporting increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Mandela has generated nearly $6 million in revenue by the local businesses they have incubated, keeping wealth in the community.
The integration of economics and health forge natural partnerships
among otherwise seemingly different sectors—we do business together,
we support improved community health through education and food
access, and we promote community ownership of the food system and
the economies that develop within and around that system.
—Dana Harvey, Executive Director, Mandela MarketPlace
In 2011, the Campbell’s Soup Company committed to reducing childhood obesity and hunger by 50 percent in its hometown of Camden, New Jersey. As part of its commitment to improving the community, Campbell’s kept its corporate headquarters located in Camden. The company has focused on four strategic areas: ensuring access to affordable and fresh food; increasing physical activity in a safe environment; supporting healthy lifestyles through nutrition education; and partnering with the community to advance positive social change.
Copyright 2017 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
A healthy workforce is a prerequisite to a thriving economy. How can business #promotehealthequity?