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Our Mission and Vision he Quad City Health Initiative (QCHI) is a community partnership in active pursuit of a healthier community. Our definition of a healthy community includes all aspects of our region’s physical, mental,T economic, social and environmental health including issues of access, affordability and quality. The Initiative seeks to be a catalyst for improving the health and overall quality of life within the Quad City community. The Initiative raises awareness of health issues, encourages or creates projects to address gaps in health services and fosters “To plant is to prophesy and the harvestcommunity collaboration in all aspects of health. answers and fulfills.” Robert G. Ingersoll, Author As I reflect on the last five years, I realize it takes a special leap of faith to invest time and resources in a project that intends to measure progress over many years. Most people are used to thinking in the short term, what needs to be done today or next week. The organizations and the people listed in this report took that leap of faith and helped create the Quad City Health Initiative. Today, QCHI is more successful than I even hoped it would be. It is truly a collaborative effort, and we have more and more people who are get- ting involved and investing in a healthier community everyday. Involvement is critical because although QCHI can identify community issues, we need to leverage all the resources we have locally to meet our community’s challenges. Our community has talented individuals and organizations already in place working on almost any issue you can imagine. Our goal is to bring them together to share ideas and work together on solutions. QCHI then helps translate those ideas into action. We hope our processes and projects serve as an example to others who want to improve the health and quality of life in our region. My personal goal is to see the Quad City area noted from coast to coast as one of the healthiest places to live. That will take even a bigger leap of faith and an entire community’s effort. We face many challenges but I am A healthy community . so impressed with the way so many have stepped up to help that I know a D Practices ongoing dialogue. healthier community is in our future. D Embraces diversity. D Richard L. “Bud” Phillis, M.D. (Retired) Shapes its future. D Quad City Health Initiative Board Chair Knows itself. D Generates leadership everywhere. D Connects people and resources. D Creates a sense of community. Health Research and Educational Trust “Growth is the only In any community or organization, there is always a tension between evidence of life.” addressing current issues and planning for the future. On the occasion of John Henry the Quad City Health Initiative’s 5th anniversary, we celebrate the leadership of our sponsors, community partners and volunteers who have transcended the urgencies of today and made an investment of time and resources in addressing for the long-term our community’s important issues. The issues we’ve tackled are not for the feint of heart---access to care, lifestyle behaviors, teenage pregnancy, tobacco use-- are all complex, multifaceted and at times intractable. With its support and participation in our projects, however, the Quad City community has demonstrated its commitment to improving health and quality of life. Our work together has already had many successes that we are happy to showcase in this report. But moreover, the growing spirit of collaboration and cooperation across organizations and individuals has the potential to transform the social and economic health of our region. It has been a privilege to work with the QCHI Board and volunteers over the last two years. As we build the future together, anything is possible. Nicole Andres Carkner Quad City Health Initiative Project Coordinator Our Staff Nicole A. Carkner, Quad City Health Initiative Project Coordinator Rebecca J. Anderson, Quad City Health Initiative Assistant The Quad City Health Initiative in 2004 • A community partnership of over 400 individuals • A preceptor site for University of Illinois at Chicago working to improve the health status and quality College of Nursing, QC Regional Program. of life in our community. • An active member of DavenportOne, Bettendorf • A 35-member community board representing local Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Quad City Chamber health departments, providers, insurers, social service of Commerce, and Council on Community Services. agencies, educators, businesses, media, law • A local partner of United Way of the Quad Cities Area enforcers, foundations and governments. on issues related to dental care access, community • An umbrella organization for the facilitation and assessment and advocacy. management of six community project teams • Recognized regionally in both Iowa and Illinois for addressing issues of access to dental care, diet and healthy community work and a member of the national exercise patterns, heat related illness prevention, Association for Community Health Improvement. access to children’s health insurance, tobacco use, and teenage pregnancy. • Funded by major grants from Genesis Health System, Trinity Regional Health System and Royal Neighbors • Author of the Quad City Community Health of America. Assessment, a comprehensive analysis of the health status of Rock Island County, IL and Scott County, IA. “To find the right trail is the problem. And when found…from that moment until life’s end… there is constant growth.” – Jens Jensen, landscape architect Quad City Health Initiative Five Years and Growing Growing an organization from an idea is much like growing a garden from seed. It starts with a dream and a plan, but in order for it to develop and bloom it needs commitment and care. Our five-year anniversary is a milestone. It is a time to celebrate and a time to reflect, but it is also a time to plan and look to the future. How It All Began “The real catalyst that led to the idea of starting the Quad City Health Before the Quad City Health Initiative seed was planted, Trinity Initiative (QCHI) was a presentation that we heard in 1998 by health Regional Health System and Genesis Health System were both futurist, Leland Kaiser,” says Dr. Richard Phillis, M.D. (Retired) and concerned about building a healthy community as were many other current QCHI Board Chair. organizations in the Quad City area. “Kaiser talked about the ‘Healthy Community’ concept and what that “In 1995 Trinity Regional Health System made a commitment to allocate means in a broad sense. There are many determinants of a healthy funds to improve the community’s health,” says Berlinda Tyler-Jamison, community from the economy and housing to the environment and President of Trinity Health Foundation and a member of the QCHI recreation. We need to understand that having a healthy Executive Committee. “The funds committed were in addition to the community for some people may mean that you can order pizza charitable resources that Trinity was already allocating at that time. This at 1 A.M and feel safe opening your door. Neighborhood safety is was a trustee initiated and driven initiative. Trinity’s board of trustees one aspect of health. He also made the point that we need to take believed very strongly that given our organization’s religious legacies care of our own ship. We need to take ownership of our community and role in the community, it was incumbent upon us to embrace and and the things that make it healthy.” demonstrate corporate social accountability. Such social accountability easily led to our participation in and initiation, with Genesis, of the Dr. Phillis and several others who heard the presentation thought Quad City Health Initiative.” that Kaiser’s points struck home and in October of 1998 they brought Leland Kaiser to the Quad Cities to speak. At the same time Genesis Health System was working with the Quad City Coalition on Health trying to change the culture of the community “We knew if something was going to be done we needed to involve toward tobacco and its use. “We were also working with Dr. Cannon, the entire community,” Dr. Phillis says. “Over 400 people heard his a retired dentist, who was providing dental care to children whose presentation. After that meeting, 60 people signed up saying they families couldn’t afford it,” says Dr. James Lehman, Vice President would like to be involved in an effort to improve the health of our of Quality for Genesis Health System and a member of the QCHI community.” Executive Committee. “Part of my job description is to work with area organizations and individuals on creating a healthier community.” Collaboration and Cooperation is the Key to Success A study committee was put together and they worked on defining In December of 2001, Trinity and Genesis Health Systems co-funded and developing the concept for an organization. In the summer of an office and hired Nicole Carkner as the QCHI Project Coordinator. 1999, the Quad City Health Initiative grew out of those meetings In 2002, a part-time assistant, Becki Anderson, was added. It was and was “self-empowered” to attack the issues that needed also in 2002 that QCHI took on its biggest project to date, hiring to be addressed. The QCHI established an Executive Committee Professional Research Consultants, Inc. to conduct a comprehensive and a community Board, including over 30 representatives of local community health assessment. health departments, providers, insurers, social service agencies, “The community health assessment was a major step. It helped us educators, businesses, media, law evaluate where we were in relation to the enforcers, foundations and governments. rest of the United States on issues of health From the beginning this was a collaborative “The best news though is that the status,” says Carkner.

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