Community health begins when individuals collaborate to build strong families, safe neighborhoods, engaging educational institutions and strong economies. These entities are pivotal to providing consistent social, educational, economic and health support. Key indicators of how Washington measures in the category of Promoting Community Health include: Economic Well-Being High School Graduation Rates

Many state health rankings groups share WHF's sense of the importance of community health and track a wide range of indicators.

Large areas of research and policy on community health are well settled. Key elements in the physical environment (e.g. clean water, sanitary living conditions, safe food, clean air) are not only well established health determinants, but also are the focus of ongoing public and private efforts. WHF gauges successes in these areas by tracking adherence to established public health standards under Investing in Prevention.

View the "Promoting Community Health" Section of WHF's 2006 Report Card on Washington's Health.

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