Press Release
Lake County Selected for Five-Year Way to Wellville Challenge
Esther Dyson-backed nonprofit will bring support from national partners while generating new evidence about what produces better health
August 15, 2014 – Lake County, CA – After a nationwide search that drew 42 applications from 26 states, Lake County has been selected as one of five communities to participate in the five-year Way to Wellville challenge. The announcement was made Thursday by the challenge sponsor, HICCup (Health Initiative Coordinating Council, www.hiccup.co), a nonprofit founded by angel investor Esther Dyson to encourage new models and markets for the production of health.
Local partnerships spanning healthcare, county organizations, all levels of education from preschool to junior college, community based organizations, youth programs, economic development, the business community, the community of faith, local government and the public will work with HICCup over the next five years to produce visible improvements in five measures of health and economic vitality. The community will receive support in the areas of data and measurement, evidence-based health solutions, and innovative financing strategies. Rigorous evaluation will measure the impact of specific health initiatives, reinforced by a coordinated, community-wide approach, while generating new insights and market opportunities for producing health.
Lake County’s health ranking is currently the poorest in the state of California. While Lake County has many challenges, it also has enormous potential. The Way to Wellville is an opportunity to focus on the positive, and by working together with common purpose, to begin turning the dial on our health profile. There are obstacles to overcome, but there are also many efforts underway that create building blocks for writing a new story and making this Lake County’s time to shine.
HICCup’s founder, CEO and four-person advisory board selected the Wellville Five from a highly competitive field, beginning with 42 community applications in May and culminating in site visits to 10 finalist communities in July and August. The group of five was selected based both on each community’s readiness for success and on the group’s diversity in geography, demographics, and lead organization. (See related blog post: http://hiccup.co/news/blog/hiccups-summer-vacation-the-way-to-wellville-grand-tour/)
“We were looking for five extraordinary communities – and we found many more than that,” said Esther Dyson, HICCup founder. “This is encouraging because the idea is not just to make a measurable difference in five places, but to demonstrate how a comprehensive approach to health can work and be replicated in many other communities around the country.”
“Over the next five years, Lake County and four other communities will lean in, with support from diverse stakeholders, citizens, partners and investors, as well as shared learning, to demonstrate the impact of multiple reinforcing health initiatives,” added Dyson. “We’ll be measuring everything to see what makes the greatest impact: from healthier school lunches and better housing, to early childhood education and economic development, to active social networks and workplace wellness.”
The other Wellville Five communities are: Clatsop County, Oregon; Greater Muskegon, Michigan; Niagara Falls, New York; and Spartanburg, South Carolina. Each has its own focus, but all of them, with HICCup’s encouragement, will also work to improve child nutrition, the overall food environment, local social conditions, and the local provision of preventive and chronic disease care.
The Journey Ahead
“HICCup and its partners will support the Wellville communities in much the same way that a startup accelerator supports a promising business idea and leadership team,” said HICCup CEO Rick Brush. “In this case, the community is the startup – and the community’s product is health.
“Just like a business startup, the community sets its course, develops its plans, negotiates with suppliers, measures its impact, and changes course as appropriate,” Brush noted. “Along the way, we’ll connect Wellville communities with health and policy experts, solution providers, funders and investors – all with an interest in testing and financing innovative health strategies.”
Lake County Selected for Five-Year Way to Wellville Challenge
Esther Dyson-backed nonprofit will bring support from national partners while generating new evidence about what produces better health
August 15, 2014 – Lake County, CA – After a nationwide search that drew 42 applications from 26 states, Lake County has been selected as one of five communities to participate in the five-year Way to Wellville challenge. The announcement was made Thursday by the challenge sponsor, HICCup (Health Initiative Coordinating Council, www.hiccup.co), a nonprofit founded by angel investor Esther Dyson to encourage new models and markets for the production of health.
Local partnerships spanning healthcare, county organizations, all levels of education from preschool to junior college, community based organizations, youth programs, economic development, the business community, the community of faith, local government and the public will work with HICCup over the next five years to produce visible improvements in five measures of health and economic vitality. The community will receive support in the areas of data and measurement, evidence-based health solutions, and innovative financing strategies. Rigorous evaluation will measure the impact of specific health initiatives, reinforced by a coordinated, community-wide approach, while generating new insights and market opportunities for producing health.
Lake County’s health ranking is currently the poorest in the state of California. While Lake County has many challenges, it also has enormous potential. The Way to Wellville is an opportunity to focus on the positive, and by working together with common purpose, to begin turning the dial on our health profile. There are obstacles to overcome, but there are also many efforts underway that create building blocks for writing a new story and making this Lake County’s time to shine.
HICCup’s founder, CEO and four-person advisory board selected the Wellville Five from a highly competitive field, beginning with 42 community applications in May and culminating in site visits to 10 finalist communities in July and August. The group of five was selected based both on each community’s readiness for success and on the group’s diversity in geography, demographics, and lead organization. (See related blog post: http://hiccup.co/news/blog/hiccups-summer-vacation-the-way-to-wellville-grand-tour/)
“We were looking for five extraordinary communities – and we found many more than that,” said Esther Dyson, HICCup founder. “This is encouraging because the idea is not just to make a measurable difference in five places, but to demonstrate how a comprehensive approach to health can work and be replicated in many other communities around the country.”
“Over the next five years, Lake County and four other communities will lean in, with support from diverse stakeholders, citizens, partners and investors, as well as shared learning, to demonstrate the impact of multiple reinforcing health initiatives,” added Dyson. “We’ll be measuring everything to see what makes the greatest impact: from healthier school lunches and better housing, to early childhood education and economic development, to active social networks and workplace wellness.”
The other Wellville Five communities are: Clatsop County, Oregon; Greater Muskegon, Michigan; Niagara Falls, New York; and Spartanburg, South Carolina. Each has its own focus, but all of them, with HICCup’s encouragement, will also work to improve child nutrition, the overall food environment, local social conditions, and the local provision of preventive and chronic disease care.
The Journey Ahead
“HICCup and its partners will support the Wellville communities in much the same way that a startup accelerator supports a promising business idea and leadership team,” said HICCup CEO Rick Brush. “In this case, the community is the startup – and the community’s product is health.
“Just like a business startup, the community sets its course, develops its plans, negotiates with suppliers, measures its impact, and changes course as appropriate,” Brush noted. “Along the way, we’ll connect Wellville communities with health and policy experts, solution providers, funders and investors – all with an interest in testing and financing innovative health strategies.”