It Starts Here: Action Institute

In early March, the Campaign for a Healthy Active Multnomah County hosted the first ever It Starts Here Action Institute. The Institute brought together new and long-standing partners to celebrate our successes, make new connections, and build new skills for making healthy changes to policies, systems and environments

County leaders

Multnomah County Chair, Jeff Cogen and Health Department Director Lillian Shirley, highlighted healthy changes happening throughout the county. And panels of local experts shared best practices on diversifying the voices shaping local policy and a multi-disciplinary approach to health equity.

National trainers

National trainers from Prevention Institute presented tools to improve collaboration, to develop effective coalitions, and to successfully frame messages to support the work.

Keynote speakers

Mildred Thompson of PolicyLink spoke about the complexities of health disparities and presented equity as the superior growth model for all communities. Rev. Dr. W. G. Hardy from Highland United Church of Christ shared his inspiring personal story of his work to make healthy changes in the local faith community.

We have developed an Action Institute Toolkit in order to share the valuable materials and resources shared at the Institute.

Presenter Dahlila Butler from Prevention Institute poses with Pastor Hardy and Institute organizers Nancy Ramirez and Olivia Quiroz from the Community Wellness and Prevention Program.

Plans are already underway for the Second Action Institute in 2013.

“The training exceeded all my expectations - it was a great way to spend two days with our community partners and with the staff of the Prevention Institute. . . . One tangible benefit is that the media advocacy piece we did on the second day has been very useful for my efforts this week in garnering coverage at our event this Saturday!”

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