Modern community health priorities are complex, rooted in the social determinants of health (conditions in the environments where people live, learn, work, play, worship, and rest), and are addressed in some way by many community and public health system partners. Current public health practice emphasizes engaging multiple sectors and partners to generate collective impact and improve social determinants of health through policy, environmental, and system level actions.

Public health professionals serve as community health strategists leading structured multi-sector approaches to focus community resources on improving specific health outcomes. Public health professionals lead community improvement processes by bringing together partners from human services, healthcare, education, cities, and other stakeholders to identify and address the health needs of the community, create strategic alignment, and maximize efforts. Working together to address the drivers of health is a powerful way to improve health and well-being leading to a prosperous community, thriving economy, and high quality of life which are important to all residents.