As a Senior Program Manager at the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), @Mara Ivanka Galic looks to improve the health of our communities through the prevention of chronic disease and building infrastructure to further promote healthy outcomes for Americans.
Tell us about the work that your organization does. What is your mission and what population(s) do you serve?
The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), a national non-profit organization, envisions a world where all people reach their full health potential, free from the burden of chronic disease. Our mission is to improve the health of the public by strengthening state and national leadership and expertise for chronic disease prevention and control.
NACDD’s core membership is composed of 59 State and Territorial Health Department Chronic Disease Directors and their staff who protect the health of the public through primary and secondary prevention efforts and address the root causes of chronic conditions. In addition, through innovative leadership development, policy implementation, and capacity building, NACDD unites more than 7,000 chronic disease professionals across the U.S. working in state, tribal, and territorial health departments; non-profits; academia; public health partners; and the private industry to promote health and reduce the burden of chronic disease. NACDD’s reach extends into communities through programs/projects that engage local partners including, but not limited to, city and regional health departments.
Please tell us about the goals of the program you are involved with and how you support social connection?
NACDD’s Center for Advancing Healthy Communities (CAHC) leads efforts around addressing social isolation, loneliness, and connection. The Center fosters resilient, healthy communities for all. Other focus areas of CAHC include food and nutrition security; access to safe physical activity opportunities and community design; tobacco use prevention and control; school health (inclusive of social and emotional well-being and mental health); prevention and management of chronic conditions such as arthritis, cardiovascular health, cancer, and diabetes; and engaging employers and healthcare providers.
Currently, CAHC staff provide training and technical assistance related to social connectedness – as a stand-alone topic or integrated with other topics such as food and nutrition security – for state and territorial health department staff in the form of monthly webinars or peer-to-peer exchange sessions.
Additional Center activities include raising awareness with other NACDD chronic disease programs (arthritis, cardiovascular health, cancer, diabetes) about the protective role of social connectedness in chronic disease prevention and remaining connected with other organizations leading the conversation. Activities in the early planning stages to support public health practitioners include the creation of an online discussion group related to social connectedness; the creation of a community of practice-like group to promote ongoing sharing and learning; and regularly convening a network of organizations working on the topic to share updates and coordinate activities, as needed.
Share one of your top achievements or a success story.
The end of July 2024 marked the close of Building Resilient Inclusive Communities (BRIC), a three-year (2021-2023) program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In collaboration with CDC and other subject matter experts, NACDD worked with 20 states, who collectively engaged more than 70 communities, to address three strategy areas – social connectedness, food and nutrition security, and safe physical activity access. The BRIC program aimed to build state and local capacity to sustainably improve social connectedness and to achieve key outcomes across each strategy area. A profile of each funded state, along with other developed resources, can be found on the BRIC program webpage.
Why is promoting social connectedness important to the community/population you serve? Why and when did you start incorporating social connectedness into your programming?
Social connectedness is important to NACDD because we recognize the impact of social isolation and loneliness on physical health, mental health, and chronic disease. We also recognize the importance of coordination and collaboration as it relates to addressing social connectedness. The pandemic, the BRIC program, and the Surgeon General’s Advisory, which declared social isolation a public health priority, all continue to motivate NACDD to prioritize social connectedness.
Being connected to initiatives like Commit to Connect allows NACDD to learn from and share best practices with other organizations and practitioners across the country; it also helps us connect public health colleagues in states and territories with one another and to the work.
Do you have tips for others looking to increase social connection and engagement programming or a key resource you can share?
For organizations or groups that are new to social connection efforts, we encourage the following initial steps:
1. Review existing data at the state and/or community level related to social connectedness, social isolation, and loneliness to better understand the extent of the problem and the communities/populations most impacted.
2. Convene key partners, and assess interest, readiness, and/or current activities (programs, policies, and practices) related to social connection at the state and local level across all sectors. Engage the community to identify assets, gaps, and solutions.
Key resources we recommend:
-
Healthy Places by Design’s Socially Connected Communities Network: The Network inspires action that results in more socially connected and equitable communities by exploring ideas and strategies that reduce social isolation and strengthen social ties. Offerings include webinars, discussion groups, resource guides, and peer learning opportunities.
Do you have any recommended reading for others interested in this topic?
For those new to and/or interested in the topic, we recommend CDC’s social connectedness webpage to learn more about the basics, understand definitions and key terms, and explore key strategies at the individual and population level. To learn more about the basics, understand definitions and key terms, and explore key strategies at the individual and population level.
Three great reads we recommend are: Robert G. Putnam’s Bowling Alone and The Upswing, and Kasley Killam’s The Art and Science of Connection.
How can others connect with your work? Do you have a project website?