| Our Declaration and Pledge
The Coalition for Healthier Cities and Communities in the United States brings together local, state, and national organizations and individuals to assist communities to better address their priority health and quality of life issues. This collaboration, among the private, public and non-profit sectors is required to develop long-term solutions to complex and interrelated issues, and build a foundation for creating healthier communities.
We, the sponsoring organizations and individuals pledge to:
I. A shared vision that this broad coalition of organizations and individuals working together and in partnership with communities can produce positive community-focused change in health and quality of life. Our Vision is to promote Healthy People and Healthy Communities in a Healthy Country.
II. A shared mission to work toward aligning the priorities of the public, private and non-profit sectors with those of communities to develop solutions to community health problems and quality of life improvement. The Coalition stimulates and encourages collaborative action and efficient use of resources from multiple sectors and community systems.
III. A movement towards common ground based on shared values to :
- promote community ownership of actions to solve quality of life problems
- assist communities to develop their capabilities, build on their strengths and reach their potential
- view health broadly to include all quality of life issues, and to collaboratively address the root causes of problems
- build meaningful partnerships more successfully
- improve the functioning and governance of health systems
IV. A common agenda that seeks to:
- foster new and nurture and support existing healthy community efforts
- promote a broader definition of health that includes physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions
- promote community ownership of the health and quality of life improvement process
- promote structural and systemic change that results in health and quality of life improvement
- promote literacy, education, and economic strategies to improve quality of life
- promote public policy and an environment supportive of community health improvement efforts
- focus on prevention, wellness and change incentives to support health and quality of life improvement
- improve health systems to increase access, improve quality and effectively and efficiently use resources
- improve health system accountability and responsiveness to community need
- share information on methods, tools and models that can be used to create healthier communities
- promote the value of diversity and inclusion in community coalitions
V. A series of interrelated action plans that will engage each participating organization in meaningful and specific activities designed to address the various aspects of the Declaration and common agenda.
As we focus on the future we will ensure diversity among Coalition members and promote an Action Agenda that helps organizations and individuals align their priorities with those of communities to enable them to better address priority health and quality of life issues. We will promote commitment to the Declaration and shared vision within organizations as the key to collaboration between organizations and ultimately with communities. We will work to develop joint leadership roles, promote mutual understanding, measure our progress toward achieving goals, help change policies at all levels to produce a more humane and just health system, and challenge other organizations to create conditions that foster healthier communities.
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