The Health Improvement Organization (HIO) community collaborative was founded in 2000 based on the shared understanding that in order to achieve long-term impact on health outcomes, improvements must extend beyond acute medical care to affect the social, economic and environmental determinants of health. The HIO Coordinating Council was established as a multi-disciplinary team of stakeholders responsible for assessment of community health status, identification of priorities, oversight of development and implementation of a Community Health Improvement Action Plan, and evaluation of progress toward established goals.
Over the past several years, Jackson’s collaborative improvement efforts have expanded in scope to include networks focused on improving education outcomes and the financial stability of residents. These entities were developed with cross-sector integration in mind. Activities targeted toward reducing disparities in health, educational attainment and poverty reduction are collectively leveraged toward population-level improvements across outcome areas.
By 2019, the collective work of these three networks had shifted to focus on identifying and addressing the root causes of system issues that were contributing to inequitable outcomes for residents. A Shared Measurement System was established to provide a clear vision for change and accountability for action on shared goals and population-level outcomes. In early 2020, local collective impact efforts were formally integrated, and shared governance and operational structures were established. This integrated network is referred to as the Jackson Collaborative Network.
The Jackson Collaborative Network is comprised of more than 550 individual members representing 155 local agencies. Members are united by a commitment to shared values of Equity, Authentic Engagement and Continuous Learning. This work is guided by community assessment efforts that make data available to assist members to identify, prioritize and address common root causes of disparities with an emphasis on creating sustainable change, ultimately resulting in improved outcomes for residents. Members are actively engaged in the development and implementation of action plans in alignment with shared goals.