A New Public Conversation on Health
Health is defined in the World Health Organization's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
We also recognize that health is a product of social, economic and environmental factors such as culture, the environment, education, income and housing.
A civic perspective on health begins with a simple premise: work to improve health is the responsibility of everyone, not just health professionals. Rethinking our roles in civic terms allows us to expand the conversation beyond provider-patient relationships, and opens up new possibilities for improving the health of individuals and communities.
The Citizen Health campaign is the second statewide campaign of Minnesota Works Together. It will involve a diverse group of people of all ages, including students, legislators, health care professionals, immigrants, clergy, teachers, and others.
Goals
Our goals for this campaign on health:
- Increase people’s civic capacity to act powerfully and create solutions to stem the health crisis in our state and country.
- Expand the public conversation about health to include the many conditions that lead to complete physical, mental and social well-being.
- Ensure that diverse voices shape the conversation and the actions we take.
- Create a path for solutions to come from citizens’ values and ideas.
- Advance an emerging cultural shift from me to we.
The Work
In December 2007, the Center for Democracy and Citizenship (CDC) partnered with ISAIAH to convene a diverse group of 70 people for a new conversation on health. Since then, 25 individuals have joined a working group organized by the CDC. The group's first actions include continuing the conversation with health care professionals, students and others.
For more information, contact Kristin Farrell at cdc@umn.edu. |
