UCLA CENTER FOR H E A LT H A D VA N C E M E N T
MOST RESEARCHERS START WITH A TOOL AND ASK WHAT IT CAN DO. WE START WITH THE PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED AND SUGGEST WHICH TOOLS WILL WORK.
WHO WE ARE The UCLA Center for Health Advancement provides critical information to local governments and the public about the health impact of policy decisions. We believe in a cross-sector, inclusive approach to building healthy communities — our expertise incorporates a range of non-health fields, from education and transportation, to urban planning and economics. We believe in empowered communities, where any policy decision is carefully calibrated for its health impact.
WHAT WE DO All policy decisions — from the adoption of a gas tax, to the design of a juvenile court system — must consider potential impact on health and well-being. Those connections are often opaque, but our work makes those links visible. We empower the general public to advocate for policies that work, and compel informed discourse in the highest levels of decision-making to improve health outcomes. We decode public health research so resources flow to the most effective programs and policies, however unexpected.
HOW WE DO IT The UCLA Center for Health Advancement makes the health implications of policy decisions visible through assessments, forecasting, and modeling. Our research demystifies public health by building an ever-growing resource of concrete and tangible, evidence-based models. Where most researchers start with a tool and ask what it can do, we start with the problem to be solved and suggest which tools will work. We scour the policy landscape for programs, policies, and projects with real impact. Through this prism, we clarify the public health implications of a broad range of policies and programs.
O U R I MPAC T The Center for Health Advancement’s innovative approach weds statistics, economics, and policy modeling with public health for maximum community benefit and individual wellness. The results of our approach can be surprising, and our work has influenced policy in a variety of ways.
We’ve helped build the formula for allocating after-school dollars, protecting lowincome kids while sensibly assigning scarce state funds. Our assessments made clear the broad health impacts of the Los Angeles City Living Wage Ordinance. Our work helped mitigate increases in LA Metro bus fares. LA County Metro included our research on economic and health disparities in its final Environmental Impact Assessment for the Westside Subway Expansion. Hospitals throughout Southern California have used our research to direct funding of community benefit programs. Our research showed that an in-home nurse visitation program in underserved households reduces crime and suicide attempts, and for every dollar invested it returns $1.18.
This is research that makes sense to anyone, from a struggling single parent, to a decision maker at the highest rungs of power. Our process translates an otherwise nebulous program or piece of policy into concrete outcomes — we identify the best opportunities to make the community a healthier place for everyone.
Learn more at: uclacha.org
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