Economy
Objective: Improve the overall economic performance of the region and grow an economy that is in alignment with our workforce
Summary: Economic indicators including poverty, employment opportunities, and access to affordable housing have been shown to influence access to health care and health outcomes.
🍏 Why is the economy important to health?
The ongoing stress and challenges associated with poverty can lead to cumulative health damage, both physical and mental. Chronic illness is more likely to affect those with the lowest income, and children in low-income families are sicker than their high-income counterparts. In addition, those with lower incomes are most likely to live in unhealthy, overcrowded, or unsafe conditions. Individuals experiencing homelessness tend to have more health care issues that their non-homeless peers; they suffer from higher rates of preventable illness, and have longer hospital stays and a higher rate of premature death. Economic factors including poverty, availability of employment opportunities, and access to affordable housing have been shown to influence access to health care and health outcomes. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), loss of jobs (such as during a recession) is clearly associated with reductions in health insurance coverage. Lack of health insurance coverage affects residents’ ability to access preventive health care and other health services. In addition, it has been shown that stable and affordable housing may improve health outcomes by freeing up family resources for healthy food and career expenses, decreasing stress, providing access to healthy options for families in neighborhoods, and reducing environmental exposures from unstable and unsafe housing options.
🎯 How do the economy goals align with the Countywide Vision?
The Countywide Vision's twin priorities of improving the overall economic performance of the region and growing an economy that is in alignment with our workforce are highly complementary. Additionally, it focuses on encouraging a complete price range of housing from affordable to luxury and the improvement of livability and energy efficiency through smart planning, design and technology, and addresses the needs of special populations such as the homeless, seniors, and veterans.
✎ What did the community say?
Community forum participants stressed that an improved labor market, with more jobs and better opportunities, is needed to improve the local economy. In addition, community participants recommended improvements to infrastructure, including public transit, as well as the promotion of business-friendly policies that support the local economy. Planning for action, subject matter experts shared several recommendations to frame next steps, including:
- Inventory existing organizations and efforts focused on developing a skilled workforce;
- Identify opportunities to prepare students to enter the workforce in fields necessary for the local economy;
- Align workforce training and education with the needs of the business community; and,
- Align county and city-level efforts to maximize resources and leverage opportunities (such as federal funding).
👍 Strategies to Improvement
Coming Soon!