Concepts and models in sustainable community health

All human societies look forward to living well and being supported by health systems that also would work for future generations. Each community is unique, defined by location/neighborhood, geography, socio-demographics and their intersectionalities, different portending community health risks, capabilities, and potential. For that reason, community health systems encompass a broad spectrum of health and wellness resources for meeting the health needs of communities presently and into the future. Historically, considerations of health systems have focused on their design and implementation in medical care health systems: workforce development, information, products and technologies, health financing, leadership, and governance. This chapter shares the view that sustainable community health has a focus on wellness and health for all and goes beyond focusing on health conditions and the medical care needs for them. Moreover, while each community would achieve health and wellbeing to its capabilities, all communities aspire for sustainable health and minimizing health uncertainties, while optimizing their wellbeing. Yet, the building blocks of sustainable community health are in need of clarification in order to guide efforts toward designing and implementing resilient and inclusive community health systems that last well into the future. This chapter identifies and discusses the social, economic, and environmental foundations of sustainable community health that are needed to address community health disparities and to enhance health equity and social justice. The chapter assumes the perspective that the drivers for the sustainable health of a community would vary from the unique intermixing of its social, economic, and environmental affordances, providing for diversity and richness in community health systems. In conclusion, the chapter considers the natural environment as a critical enabler to the economic and social sustenance of community health systems.