CityHealth works with local governments and leaders to drive improvements in the day-to-day life, well-being, and health of residents through a series of evidence-based policy recommendations.
CityHealth, an initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, was established in 2017 to help city leadership drive improvements in their communities through evidence-based policy solutions. Each year CityHealth rates the nation’s 40 largest cities in nine policy areas and also awards gold, silver, and bronze medals for their success in adopting these policies.
The policy package was created with a three-part process that considered the evidence base of policies addressing the key social determinants of health; cities’ jurisdictional authority and precedent; and analysis by a policy advisory committee representing key partners, influencers, and community representatives. The goal was to provide city leaders with a pragmatic, achievable, and aspirational package of policies that could align with their city priorities and needs. 
Impact
For the last three years, CityHealth has annually scored cities on their progress in adopting nine key policies that advance health and well-being, using gold, silver, and bronze medals. Cities’ overall medal results are based on the combined quality and quantity of policies in place in each category. In 2019, a total of eight cities received an overall gold medal, eight cities received a silver medal, and 14 cities received a bronze medal.
For the first time, three-quarters of the cities (30 of 40) earned an overall metal. While some cities are making great strides, others have work to do, as 10 cities still don’t have strong enough policies to warrant an overall medal.
For CityHealth, every unearned gold medal represents an opportunity to use policy as a lever to improve people’s quality of life and well-being, and to help their communities thrive.
Questions?
If you’d like more information about CityHealth, contact Katrina Forrest at forrest@debeaumont.org.
Partner
