Blog - Who Should Be at the Table? Lessons from Collective Impact Role Play

Jun 9, 2014 1:00 PM ET
Campaign: Collective Impact

Who Should Be at the Table? Lessons from Collective Impact Role Play

I had the privilege of speaking at a recent Leadership Retreat hosted by Randolph Hospital in Asheboro, North Carolina, focused on “Engaging our Community in Population Health.” As a native North Carolinian, I enjoyed returning to my home state to meet with local leaders and discuss the potential application of collective impact in addressing complex health challenges.

Asheboro is the county seat of Randolph County, which has a population of about 150,000 people. Located in the center of the state, Randolph County has rolling countryside dotted with several small towns, and is fairly accessible to two large metro areas in the state -- including the Greensboro / Winston Salem 30 miles to the north and Raleigh / Durham 60 miles to the east.

In preparing for this meeting, I learned that communities across North Carolina are facing significant health challenges. For example, the percentage of people who are overweight or obese in North Carolina has more than doubled over the last 20 years. These challenges are accentuated in Randolph County. In 2013, the Randolph County Community Health Needs Assessment found that 72% of adults in the county are overweight – compared to 65% statewide.

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