community engaged work

Dayton Children’s engages intentionally and authentically with the communities we serve so that the paths we reinvent are equitable, giving each child what they need to achieve their best health.

We recognize that a significant portion of someone’s health is impacted by factors beyond the walls of the hospital.

Through authentic engagement, we can co-design solutions with the community which may be far more impactful than what we could have done alone. Together, we can address community root causes of inequity, specifically intergenerational poverty, and racism.  

Featured Programs/Initiatives 

• Center for Health Equity – Dayton Children’s Center for Health Equity takes our commitment to optimal health for every child within our reach to the next level with a deep investment in resources, research, strategy and structure. The goal is to better understand the health disparities that exist among our children, identify the reasons that a child is not thriving and work with the community to provide the needed support sooner. The Center combines our community health and engagement team with a community-focused research team to identify innovative ways to address health inequities.  
  • Community-Driven Research Agenda - In support of the Center for Health Equity’s mission, we have developed a research program centered on three primary areas: identifying and addressing social needs, understanding the crisis in behavioral health, and partnering with our community to address the health priorities that our community members identify.  Our research team uses mixed methods and community-based participatory research approaches to engage community members in the research process.    
  • Community Advisory Board - The Center for Health Equity Community Advisory Board (CAB) is a group of engaged and diverse community stakeholders who help to inform the Center’s work and create comprehensive measures to address health inequities.  The CAB has meaningful discussions about improving health outcomes that are important to the community, provides input to the Center’s programming, and suggests interventions to address social and environmental determinants of health. 
  • Community Partnerships to Address Social Determinants of Health – Community health staff work many partners across the health, education, housing, and social service sectors to remove barriers and improve community conditions.  
• Community Health Needs Assessment - Our Community Health Needs Assessment provides a snapshot of children’s health in the Greater Dayton Area, as well as our state and nation so we have actionable data to inform our community health strategies.  
• Community Grant Program - Each year local organizations from our 20-county service regions can apply for this funding to support programs and initiatives that improve the health of children.  
• Supplier and Vender Procurement – Dayton Children’s Hospitals leverages our supply chain and purchasing power by sourcing local goods, services, and food to help build local wealth in our community.