Jargon Buster: Community Development and Public Health

The Jargon Buster, a new tool from PHI’s Build Healthy Places Network, aims to demystify common industry jargon and in doing so, bring together public health and community development practitioners to help improve community environments and health outcomes. 

The tool includes easy-to-understand definitions for common terms used in the community development and public health sectors.

Visit the Jargon Buster.

Many of the root causes of poverty and poor health are the same, and the community development and health sectors have worked for decades to address these challenges. However, these two sectors have often worked separately, even when serving the same places and people.

As a result, challenges such as siloed work streams, underestimated value and impact of work, inefficient use of resources, policy roadblocks and unrecognized investment opportunities persist.

Today we know that factors related to health, employment, education, housing, and neighborhoods are linked. Place matters and in many cases your zip code is more important than your genetic code in determining your health. We need coordinated action to build communities where all people can live healthy and rewarding lives.

By joining forces, community developers and health professionals can have a more powerful impact. But working across sectors begins with speaking the same language. Get started with the Jargon Buster.

PHI’s Build Healthy Places Network catalyzes and supports collaboration across the health and community development sectors, together working to improve low-income communities and the lives of people living in them. Learn more.

Originally published by Build Healthy Places Network