Overview

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Program

We know that much of what influences our health happens outside of the doctor’s office—in our schools, workplaces and neighborhoods. The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program help communities identify and implement solutions that make it easier for people to be healthy in their own communities, focusing on specific factors that we know affect health, such as education and income. Having health insurance and quality health care are important to our health, but we need leadership and action beyond health care.

Ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, the County Health Rankings illustrate what we know when it comes to what’s making people sick or healthy. County Health Roadmaps show what we can do to create healthier places to live, learn, work and play. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) collaborates with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI) to bring this groundbreaking program to cities, counties, and states across the nation.

About the County health rankings

The County Health Rankingsshow the rank of the health of nearly every county in the nation and illustrate that much of what affects health occurs outside of the doctor’s office. Published online at the Rankings help counties understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live. The Rankings look at a variety of measures that affect health such as the rate of people dying before age 75, high school graduation rates, unemployment, limited access to healthy foods, air pollution levels, income, and rates of smoking, obesity and teen births. Based on data available for each county, the Rankingsare unique in their ability to measure the overall health of each county in all 50 states on the many factors that influence health, and they have been used to garner support among government agencies, healthcare providers, community organizations, business leaders, policymakers, and the public for local health improvement initiatives.

about the county health roadmaps

The County Health Roadmaps project includes several efforts to help communities build teams of people from all walks of life look at the many factors that influence health and make changes that will have a lasting impact on health.The project includes grants to coalitions across the U.S. that are working to improve the health of people in their communities; grants to national organizations to mobilize local leaders and affiliates to improve health; a prize program to recognize communities taking action and whose promising efforts will likely lead to better health; and tools to help groups working to improve the health of people in their communities.

Roadmaps to Health Community Grants

  • The Roadmaps to Health Community Grants, managed by Community Catalyst a national consumer health advocacy organization, support two-year state and local efforts among policymakers, business, education, health care, public health, and community organizations.
  • Building on the County Health Rankings model, these grantees are working to create positive policy or systems changes that address the social, economic, and environmental factors that influence how healthy people are and how long they live.
  • Learn more about the 12 Round one and 18 Round two granteesat

Roadmaps to Health Partner Grants

  • RWJF is awarding Roadmaps to Health Partner Grants to up to six national organizations that are experienced at engaging local partners and leaders, are able to deliver high-quality training and technical assistance, and are committed to making communities healthier places to live, learn, work, and play.
  • The first Partner Grant was awarded to United Way Worldwide (UWW) in July 2011. UWW aims to educate local United Way affiliates about the role that factors such as education, jobs, income, and environment play in determining how healthy people are and how long they live, so that these affiliates can lead community efforts to address these factors. Twelve local United Way organizations have been tapped to form a Health Mobilization Group and have pledged to move policy, systems, and environmental change forward in their communities.
  • The second Partner Grant was awarded to the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) in October 2012. NBCH will work with member coalitions to identify their technical assistance and training needs to engage in community health improvement work. Based on this assessment, they will develop employer-focused tools and connect members to appropriate content experts and consultants to facilitate their work. In March 2013, with funding from RWJF and the United Health Foundation, NBCH will award up to 10 seed grants to business coalitions who are planning or implementing community health improvement projects.
  • The third Partner Grant was awarded to the National Association of Counties (NACo) in January 2013. Building on the foundation of NACo’s Healthy Counties Initiative, they will host forums and community dialogues to discuss common issues affecting the many factors that influence health, develop and leverage materials that will aid elected officials in their policy-making, and facilitate learning exchanges between counties and other interested parties in promising practices.

RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize

  • RWJF awarded the first RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize to six outstanding community partnerships that are helping people live healthier lives. The prize acknowledges communities where leaders from government, business, education, public health, non-profits, and other sectors are coming together with a shared vision and commitment to making lasting changes that create a culture of health. The communitieseach received a cash prize of$25,000.

Learn more about the prize and its recipients and the new Call for Applications at

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