Publications and Research
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-13-2023
Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted foundational challenges in managing the public's health and the persistent health inequities in our communities. Within the private sector, companies witnessed how adverse health events impact the economy at large, their employees, and their customers. As a result, many companies have begun to see that they have a critical role in improving the long-term well-being of the communities in which they work and how health equity can build resilience. This recognition has driven many to action. Either on their own or in collaboration with established public health players, companies are deploying private sector points of view and practices to public health and health equity challenges.
With investments in innovation and collaboration, companies are contributing expertise, technology, and capability to advance patient experience and outcomes while attempting to improve resilience to public health events in an unknown future. They bring resources, perspectives, and approaches that are often distinct from how Public Health practitioners, policymakers, and community organization have worked to date. As such, collaborations can bring together complementary resources and expertise to address challenges each organization couldn't solve on its own. For example, companies can support public organizations by providing technical expertise, financial support, and education, as well as a platform for positive publicity and exposure. Meanwhile, public health entities can provide specialized knowledge, pre-existing community capital, and lessons learned from prior interventions. Though challenges exist, leveraging complementary skills to synergistically impact Public Health and Health Equity challenges holds significant promise.
In this Research Topic of Frontiers in Health Services, titled The Next Phase of Public Health: Innovations from the Private Sector to Build Health Equity, Collaborations, and Resilience, the contributing authors explore How Best to Collaborate, the Challenges of Innovation Readiness, and Drivers of Success. Through observational studies and review articles, the authors examine best practices from the private sector, perspectives on evaluating organizational readiness and resilience, and ways to overcome collaboration challenges. Together, they challenge stakeholders within and beyond the private sector to operate more effectively as equity and resilience change agents on their own and in collaboration with others.
Comments
This article was published open access in Frontiers Health Services under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) doi: 10.3389/frhs.2023.1297266