Building healthier communities: Creighton president on population health
A full version of the following editorial, written by Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, was published on Sunday, Nov. 23, in the Omaha World-Herald.
Health care costs across the United States continue to rise with investments reaching tens of billions of dollars.
Yet the National Academy of Medicine has found medical intervention accounts for only 20 percent of what determines our health. Instead, predominant factors in wellbeing are rooted in economic, social and environmental conditions in the communities where we live.
The crisis compounds when we recognize the conditions that facilitate positive health outcomes are not evenly distributed. Marginalized populations regularly struggle to access care, face higher occupational risks and experience more unmet health needs.
...Creighton’s Institute for Population Health, launched in 2023 by Scott Shipman, MD, MPH, has worked within the Omaha community to identify and address barriers to access and increase health equity, leading to better health outcomes for everyone.
Its most recent efforts include the Creighton Child Safety Center, which opened earlier this month at the Highlander Accelerator in North Omaha.
