Community Health Collaboration

The Backyard Initiative at Allina Health, based in Minnesota, is truly taking care beyond hospital walls. BYI focuses on seven neighborhoods that surround Allina's Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Phillips Eye Institute, and corporate headquarters and are home to many residents with poor health outcomes. BYI aims to improve the health and health care of residents by engaging them as active partners in individual and community health, addressing the root cause of their illnesses—such as isolation and lack of social support—and building connections with other organizations working to improve community health. Interestingly, BYI was the second attempt, as plans for a first program were rejected by the community. Partnering with the Cultural Wellness Center in south Minneapolis, Allina responded and formed an assessment team that held 21 listening circles and conducted 677 door-to-door or phone interviews with residents. Led by the Community Commission on Health—managed by community residents—a dozen Citizen Health Action Teams, or CHATS, were created and are now developing strategies for improving health, based on assessment findings and recommendations. Allina has a robust evaluation and research plan for BYI, and current interventions employ a prevention-driven approach for promoting health and building capacity in the community.

For more information, contact Ruth Hampton Olkon, manager, community programs, at ruth.olkon@allina.com