70
social and economic sectors (Evidence for Action
n.d.).
While the CAP, under the stewardship of
United Way, has received several awards and
acknowledgments over its long history, perhaps
the most important was inclusion in the 2013
inaugural Culture of Health Award winners. This
prize, afforded by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation (RWJF) and the University of
Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI),
recognized Santa Cruz County for centering its
efforts in data, ensuring that decision-making
was informed, could be measured, and, importantly, could be acted upon (Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation 2013). More specifically,
acknowledgment was given to the CAP’s sustained and continuously improving process to use
community assessment data to examine disparities and assets, to ensure community voice is
expressed, and to coordinate and motivate initiatives to action through the development of community goals.
In these ways, the CAP put in place a culture
of accountability and, notably, supported a nimble system of partnerships that could leverage
each other’s work. Several partnerships and initiatives were developed in response to CAP findings, including Healthy Kids of Santa Cruz
County (health-care program insuring children),
Jóvenes SANOS (initiative empowering county
youth to advocate for their own health and wellbeing), the Youth Violence Prevention Task
Force, and the formerly titled Together for Youth,
now named Community Prevention Partners.
Receipt of this recognition elevated the CAP’s
goals and connected Santa Cruz County with
other leaders, partners, and communities throughout the United States who are engaged in similar
pursuits for equity and wellbeing. Consequently,
new resources and capacities were made available that are usually inaccessible to smaller counties such as Santa Cruz. United Way continues to
participate in generating new insights from the
growing list of Culture of Health Award recipients from across the United States. It is also providing innovation assistance and action for the
CAP and, subsequently, Santa Cruz County to
innovate through exploring and adopting new
data, indicators, and communication and action
strategies (Fig. 6.3). The Culture of Health
Alumni network consists of a network of alumni
participants from all over the country—a key
example of leadership, support, and innovation
all working from a shared commitment to wellbeing for everyone.
As the CAP leadership has long maintained
the ability to hold itself accountable in striving
for a Culture of Health—for wellbeing for all—
so do the SDGs hold themselves to a similar standard. This alignment of accountability for
intention and action is a foundation for localizing
the SDGs, and it sets the stage for adopting the
shared measures required to achieve them.
6.3.2 Condition 2: Individual
and Population Measures
of Well-Being via Social
Connectedness
Individual well-being is composed of four
domains: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Community well-being, in contrast, is captured in the CAP through five domains: Economic
Stability; Education; Social and Community
Context; Health and Health Care; and
Neighborhood and Built Environment. The intermediary between these two realms of wellbeing
is social connectedness, which attests to the role
relationships and engagement play both at the
individual and the collective levels. The PERMA
(Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships,
Meaning, and Accomplishments) model put forth
by Dr. Martin Seligman names these five qualities as the foundational elements of wellbeing
(Positive Psychology Program 2017). Research
supports the idea that the more of these items one
has, the more his or her connections are increased,
subsequently improving overall health and
wellbeing (Kern et al. 2015). That said, the opposite also holds true, as isolation and a lack of connections can negatively impact one’s health and
wellbeing (Seppala 2014).
In 2016, at a Community Indicator Consortium
(CIC) session regarding social connectedness,
ASR presented a workshop on how to align these
S. Brutschy et al.
social and economic sectors (Evidence for Action
n.d.).
While the CAP, under the stewardship of
United Way, has received several awards and
acknowledgments over its long history, perhaps
the most important was inclusion in the 2013
inaugural Culture of Health Award winners. This
prize, afforded by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation (RWJF) and the University of
Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI),
recognized Santa Cruz County for centering its
efforts in data, ensuring that decision-making
was informed, could be measured, and, importantly, could be acted upon (Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation 2013). More specifically,
acknowledgment was given to the CAP’s sustained and continuously improving process to use
community assessment data to examine disparities and assets, to ensure community voice is
expressed, and to coordinate and motivate initiatives to action through the development of community goals.
In these ways, the CAP put in place a culture
of accountability and, notably, supported a nimble system of partnerships that could leverage
each other’s work. Several partnerships and initiatives were developed in response to CAP findings, including Healthy Kids of Santa Cruz
County (health-care program insuring children),
Jóvenes SANOS (initiative empowering county
youth to advocate for their own health and wellbeing), the Youth Violence Prevention Task
Force, and the formerly titled Together for Youth,
now named Community Prevention Partners.
Receipt of this recognition elevated the CAP’s
goals and connected Santa Cruz County with
other leaders, partners, and communities throughout the United States who are engaged in similar
pursuits for equity and wellbeing. Consequently,
new resources and capacities were made available that are usually inaccessible to smaller counties such as Santa Cruz. United Way continues to
participate in generating new insights from the
growing list of Culture of Health Award recipients from across the United States. It is also providing innovation assistance and action for the
CAP and, subsequently, Santa Cruz County to
innovate through exploring and adopting new
data, indicators, and communication and action
strategies (Fig. 6.3). The Culture of Health
Alumni network consists of a network of alumni
participants from all over the country—a key
example of leadership, support, and innovation
all working from a shared commitment to wellbeing for everyone.
As the CAP leadership has long maintained
the ability to hold itself accountable in striving
for a Culture of Health—for wellbeing for all—
so do the SDGs hold themselves to a similar standard. This alignment of accountability for
intention and action is a foundation for localizing
the SDGs, and it sets the stage for adopting the
shared measures required to achieve them.
6.3.2 Condition 2: Individual
and Population Measures
of Well-Being via Social
Connectedness
Individual well-being is composed of four
domains: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Community well-being, in contrast, is captured in the CAP through five domains: Economic
Stability; Education; Social and Community
Context; Health and Health Care; and
Neighborhood and Built Environment. The intermediary between these two realms of wellbeing
is social connectedness, which attests to the role
relationships and engagement play both at the
individual and the collective levels. The PERMA
(Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships,
Meaning, and Accomplishments) model put forth
by Dr. Martin Seligman names these five qualities as the foundational elements of wellbeing
(Positive Psychology Program 2017). Research
supports the idea that the more of these items one
has, the more his or her connections are increased,
subsequently improving overall health and
wellbeing (Kern et al. 2015). That said, the opposite also holds true, as isolation and a lack of connections can negatively impact one’s health and
wellbeing (Seppala 2014).
In 2016, at a Community Indicator Consortium
(CIC) session regarding social connectedness,
ASR presented a workshop on how to align these
S. Brutschy et al.