ACH Resource Center

Background

The Accountable Community for Health (ACH) is a relatively new model of collaboration bringing together leaders from multiple sectors who have a shared interest in improving health, equity, and well-being in their communities. The ACH model has been implemented and shown success in a handful of states as a method to collaborate in more effective ways to solve community-wide health problems. Unique to the model is the reliance on a backbone organization to facilitate collaboration across partners in service of greater systems change in the community. This structural component also supports accountability across partners which helps drive the work forward. Our ACH Resource Center serves as the national hub for innovation in the ACH space, connecting and organizing the ACH efforts and resulting learnings that have surfaced around the nation.

Since its founding in 2015, PHIL has served as a leader in health-focused multisector collaboration. PHIL is a sense-maker, translating cutting-edge research into actionable recommendations to create powerful results in equity-focused community wellness and population health. 

Need

During the last several years, PHIL has participated, led, or contributed to the ACH/multisector efforts across the nation and we have learned what it takes to garner success and impact change. Current community collaborative efforts often do not achieve their intended results. Systems change is hard and ongoing efforts are siloed. We refer to this truth as the “Reality of Change.” Both in our work with ACHs and in subsequent key informant discussions, we have consistently heard that there is a common need and desire for a more cohesive support and connective system for those implementing and maintaining the model. There is demand for a connective ACH ecosystem for learning, support, and action. 

Solution

We aim to establish an environment grounded in the reality of change that enables ACH innovation to flourish across the nation.

Our ACH Resource Center is a nationally-recognized hub, whose mission is to spread the ACH model and demonstrate its impact on the improved health, well-being, and equity in communities. We utilize a multi-pronged approach, engaging communities, funders, and subject matter experts (SMEs) as both customer and contributor to the center and our learnings.

We currently have a library of online products, offline services, and a team brimming with practical and scientific expertise and foresee this attracting further funding and revenue from government, philanthropic, and the private sectors. SMEs would provide work-for-hire services, communities will attract the right funders that match their current needs or vision, and the center will monitor and publish the progress of their combined effort as they navigate the challenges and celebrate the successes ahead.

See our selection of resources for multisector collaboratives
Learn more about our Powering Change curriculum
Download a preview of our Powering Change curriculum
See our complete Powering Change curriculum