Introduction to
Healthy New Orleans
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Introduction to
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Interest in improving the public health delivery system in New Orleans started
long before the Turning Point Initiative. Experience gained in earlier collaboratives
was utilized in establishing a framework and structure for the Partnership that
emerged as the Healthy New Orleans: The City That Cares initiative. Unlike previous
collaborative processes that developed in response to particular needs, the
Healthy New Orleans Partnership had the potential of working on systems problems
that contributed to poor health outcomes, fragmentation, inadequate services
and inefficiencies. The Healthy New Orleans collaborative process was initiated
in response to a call for Letters of Intent from the WK Kellogg and Robert Wood
Johnson Foundations. In February 1997 a public forum with 75 stakeholders in
attendance was held at the United Way of the Greater New Orleans area to introduce
the community to the Turning Point initiative and to discuss community health
issues. The Healthy New Orleans Partnership was funded in December 1997 as one
of three local partnerships along with the State Initiative.
During 1997, the application year, the local partnership struggled with issues
of 1) establishing and defining the structure of the partnership; 2) building
trust; and 3) recruiting and engaging stakeholders. The Goal of Healthy New
Orleans is to "improve the health status of New Orleans through a collaborative
that develops and implements a Community Health Improvement Plan focusing on
individuals, families and community with children as a priority." Objectives
consisted of 1) creating a comprehensive, coordinated public health partnership;
2) conducting a community assessment of needs; 3) developing a comprehensive
Community Health Improvement Plan; 4) participating in the development of communication
and information systems; 5) expanding the vision of a Healthy New Orleans through
new technical understanding and a commitment of leadership and resources from
community, business and municipal stakeholders; and 6) monitoring and evaluating
the planning process.
The HNO Partnership, as part of its action planning implementation process has developed a website on the internet to provide information about the Partnership, community health information, and many other informative aspects of the initiative. Please visit their website: