The Minnesota Department of Health has taken the lead in promoting community health and fairness by establishing the Healthy Minnesota Partnership. This multisectoral coalition, which includes transportation, education, and community organizations, works to develop policies and programs that ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities. The Mississippi Department of Human Services has also taken steps to support community initiatives with the Division of Early Childhood Care and Development's strategic plan. This plan was developed in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Education, Mississippi Early Childhood Inclusion Center, Mississippi Children's Foundation, and Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center. In addition to these initiatives, the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) has established several programs to support community empowerment.
These include the Bower School of Population Health, Mississippi Obesity Research Center, and Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research. The PDG B-5 grant is based on this strategic plan and is being implemented in partner communities such as Charleston, Lexington, and New Albany. To ensure that these initiatives are successful, it is important to build trust between law enforcement and local communities. This can be done by providing political and economic empowerment that helps people learn the skills and develop the resources needed to be self-sufficient. As Porter (2020) noted, when presenters make progress working with the communities most in need, it can create “the greatest shared value”.When the Covid 19 health emergency disrupted normal operations across the LOU region, the OCE began organizing university collaboration calls with community partners such as the Oxford-Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Oxford-Lafayette, Visit Oxford, and representatives from the United States Federal Government.
These calls focused on what communities can do to promote health equity and what actions are needed by stakeholders who support communities. It also discussed root causes and structural barriers that must be overcome in order to maximize impact. Building strong partnerships between universities and local organizations is essential for successful community engagement work. The University of Mississippi is committed to carrying out a pilot phase of 18 to 24 months in partner communities in order to ensure that initiatives equitably benefit poor and long-time residents.
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