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ACHIEVE
In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and the Y MCA of the USA (Y-USA), NACDD worked to implement Action Communities for Health Innovation and EnVironmental changE(ACHIEVE).
ACHIEVE’s national partnership provided funding, training and technical assistance to 149 communities in 44 states and one US territory to create local coalitions, conduct assessments and use that data to create comprehensive plans to implement improvements that address local needs around chronic disease prevention. These improvements included policy, system and environmental changes to increase access to physical activity, healthy nutrition and reduce exposure to tobacco. They spanned multi-sector groups such as worksites, schools, health care settings, community institutions and local governments.
NACDD funded 48 of these communities through ACHIEVE, and strengthened partnerships between its funded communities and respective state health departments in 31 states and one US territory. NACDDs funded communities collectively leveraged an estimated $65,976,154 in additional funding to continue their efforts (resulting in a project return on investment (ROI) of nearly 20:1!), and instituted 2,725 sustainable changes to improve the health of more than 6,500,000 people in multiple community settings.
NACDD “ACHIEVE”ments
NACDD is proud of the hard work by its ACHIEVE states and communities. To read about some of their accomplishments, see below:
Project Reports
The NACDD Communities ACHIEVEing Success report details the outcomes accomplished by NACDD’s ACHIEVE communities through the end of 2012 when the project ended.
The NACDD Communities Still ACHIEVEing Success report represents the final and updated outcomes report through the end of 2014 – a two-year post-project reflection on the sustained success by NACDD’s ACHIEVE communities.
ACHIEVEing Healthy Communities and Fiscal Efficiency is a project funding report compiled by NACDD in 2014 following the last data collection for the NACDD ACHIEVE project. This report details the funds leveraged by participating communities to sustain their ongoing healthy communities work, and highlights the estimated 20:1 project ROI.
The Community Mentor Model is a guidance document co-written by NACDD and its 2012 Mentor Community Coaches emphasizing the success of the 2012 ACHIEVE Community Mentor Model as an innovative framework of community partnership between and among states for collaborative efforts to improve community health.
For the 2009-2012 period of the ACHIVE project, NACDD developed and implemented a Peer Learning Network as a method of convening peer groups and provide targeted assistance and support to local communities during the community change process. The Peer Learning Network report outlines the group processes and outcomes.
Throughout the ACHIEVE project period, NACDD used social media as a mechanism to communicate with communities and encourage project sharing of news, successes and awareness. The Social Media Usage report details the use of social media by NACDD ACHIEVE communities.
The ACHIEVE national partners co-developed its sustainability guide (Sustaining the Movement) to support continued momentum among its funded healthy communities.
Success Stories
The Celebrating Change Community Success Stories highlights the important work of communities to make the healthy choice the easy choice for the millions of people at risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Chronic diseases are among the most common, costly and preventable health problems in the U.S.
To celebrate the hard work of the funded communities and the ACHIEVE national partnership, NACDD shares this collection of success stories from across the nation, providing a snapshot of how this viral work made an impact in local communities. NACDD and the ACHIEVE national partnership continue to promote the ACHIEVE philosophy of creating healthier communities through sustainable change within community settings – a philosophy that saves lives, improves quality of life, and reduces healthcare costs.
The Creating Healthy Communities – Success Stories from ACHIEVE reflects the impact of healthy community policy and environmental change efforts with NACDD’s ACHIEVE communities between 2008-2012.
ACHIEVE Podcasts
The podcasts below are short recorded audio productions that highlight healthy communities across the nation. Simply click on the links to hear the podcast or right-click your mouse and “save link as” on your computer or MP3 player. If your browser does not allow for streaming media, you will need to download these podcasts to your computer. Each of these files is MPO3 and can be played with traditional MP3 players or iPods.
In this production, Jennie Hefelfinger (NACDD ACHIEVE Project Manager 2008-2012) and Ali Patty (ACHIEVE Program Consultant 2008-2012) talk about how these podcasts can help communities better share information about ACHIEVE.
In this production, Ande Bloom, Elsie Flemings, Julie Jackman, and Kirsten Frandsen talk about their views of partnerships in ACHIEVE communities.
In this production, four representatives of State Health Departments talk about their experiences with ACHIEVE communities. Candace Ayars (Kansas), Scott Bucher (Pennsylvania), Sharon Nelson (North Carolina), and Bruce Hathaway (New York) are featured in this podcast.
In this production, two ACHIEVE Community Coaches, Nicole Willis and Linda Colangelo, discuss their experiences with community policy change.
In this production, the original ACHIEVE national partners (NACDD and YMCA of the USA) discuss ACHIEVE from its inception until now. Neil Nicoll, President and CEO of YMCA of the USA, and John Robitscher, CEO of NACDD, are featured in this podcast.
In this production, Community Coach Erin Engelbrecht from Albuquerque, New Mexico (2008 NACDD ACHIEVE community) talks in detail about how her community came together to develop an urban trail for all users.
In this production, Community Coach Linda Colangelo from the Northeast Health District in Connecticut (2009 ACHIEVE community) talks in detail about how her community increased physical activity among teachers and students in the local school system.
In this production, Community Coach Melissa Dimond from Chelsea, Massachusetts (2010 ACHIEVE community) talks about building support for a ban against trans fats in an urban community.
Map of NACDD ACHIEVE Communities
Map of NACDD ACHIEVE communities coming soon …
Additional ACHIEVE Resources
For more information about the national ACHIEVE project, please visit www.achievecommunities.org.
For more information about the CDC’s Healthy Communities Program, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dch/programs/healthycommunitiesprogram/index.htm.
For more information about CDC ACHIEVE, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dch/programs/healthycommunitiesprogram/communities/achieve/index.htm.
Contact Us
For more information about the NACDD ACHIEVE project or additional resources, please contact:
Karma Harris, MSPH
kedwards@chronicdisease.org
Jennie Hefelfinger, MS
jhefelfinger@chronicdisease.org