Alameda County Hosts National Initiative to Reduce Health D...(tnerships withcommunity-based organizati...),Health

Improving health status by tackling broad social problems such as a lack of affordable housing, inadequate schools, violence and anemic economic development combines social and medical theory. Place Matters is moving theory into practice by equipping communities with the tools to change the social conditions that impact health outcomes.

"There are hot spots of death where life expectancy is literally on the order of a decade shorter than other parts of the county. That's pretty astounding. That's 10 years of life lost due to social conditions," said Anthony Iton, a strong supporter of Alameda's Place Matters initiative.

"Inequitable social conditions contribute to health inequities," said Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center.

A hallmark of the Place Matters Initiative is the collaboration and networking among team members both to provide a support system and to disseminate best practices. The Oakland meeting will continue this tradition.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is one of the nation's premier research and public policy institutions and the only one whose work focuses exclusively on issues of particular concern to African Americans and other people of color. For more information, go to http://www.jointcenter.org

The Place Matters initiative is supported by a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. http://www.wkkf.org

The mission of the Alameda County Health Department is to work in partnership with the community to ensure the optimal health and well being of all people http://www.acphd.org