Assignment task:
In 2012, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiated a program to award communities with funding to develop programs that promote health. Deemed an initial success, efforts have continued and are featured on various linked pages. In particular, the 2015 story of Spartansburg County, South Carolina demonstrates just how important it is to make data-driven decisions in public health. In addition, to bring material from the very first week back into this discussion, this initiative was initially very much focused on the factors affecting community health (pgs 6-9) as part of their analysis. They clearly incorporated consideration for the community size, the economy and beliefs, traditions and prejudices - to name a few. While the story mainly features the initiative to reduce teenage pregnancy, that specific programs represents a single effort as part of their overall holistic approach to improving community health. In general, the RWJF program represents a seemingly successful integrated partnership providing resources to communities in need.
Using any of the winners, how do each of their individual stories relate to the course material examined so far? How does epidemiology play a part in the development and maintenance of these health promotion programs? Are there other programs in NJ that use elements of epidemiology and health promotion programming to serve a specific priority population?