A community thrives when everyone has the opportunity for good health and well-being.
While the essential elements for a healthy life are readily available for some, opportunities are significantly limited for many. Through system-change solutions that reduce barriers in the social drivers of health, we can improve community health outcomes.
Various populations experience significant disparities across health outcomes. This means that factors outside of individual choice influence someone’s well-being.
SOCIAL DRIVERS OF HEALTH – also known as the social determinants of health – are the social, economic, and environmental policies, systems, and structures that impact a person’s health and well-being. These drivers of health determine how long and how well people live.
Our systems consist of policies, practices, and structures that shape people’s access to good health and well-being. Throughout history, these systems have been created to advantage some and disadvantage others.
As a result, there are communities that have historically, and continue to, lack resources and opportunities to achieve strong economic health and well-being. The inability to live healthy lives has multi-generational impacts, causing regional challenges that are costly to address.
Mid-Iowa Health Foundation maximizes its philanthropic approach to address the social drivers of health in the following ways:
Investing in initiatives that seek measurable improvements in health outcomes through programs and policies impacting central Iowans.
Collaborating across sectors on issues that support greater economic stability among underresourced central Iowa populations.
Influencing the local philanthropic landscape, including the types of initiatives funders collaborate on, to focus their contributions on root cause issues.
Apply public health knowledge and research in community planning, elevating data to inform policy and program impacts, to seek measurable change in identified community needs.
Engage stakeholders in identifying opportunities and addressing trending issues, and lead discussions on the most pressing challenges faced by underresourced populations.
Engage partners to invest alongside Mid-Iowa Health Foundation to explore new ideas and pursue bold projects and initiatives to facilitate improved community health outcomes.
In addition to strategic grantmaking, we learn and work alongside grantees, other funders, and stakeholders with the goal of expanding a network of champions in support of health equity.
How we show up in our community is defined by guiding principles and an unwavering commitment to our mission.
