The Vaccine We Need Most Is Right At Home

Think about the place where you were born. Was it clean? Not just perfectly sterile ... more like whether rotting items were strewn about, drawing disease-carrying insects. Was it safe? Not just from the random pickpocket ... more like whether drive-by shootings or terrorist attacks were a constant fear. Now ask those same questions about the place where you grew up. And about the places where you live and work. Answers to such questions are the building blocks of what's known as your social determinants of health. As further explained by the World Health Organization, these are the economic and social conditions that influence the health of people and communities. They are shaped by money, power and resources, all of which are influenced by policy choices. Wrong ones can make you sick or keep you from getting healthy. They are barriers to productive, successful lives. Many people, organizations and government agencies around the world and across the United States are focused on this issue. That includes Enterprise Community Partners, which has been helping create affordable housing in strong neighborhoods since 1982. The numbers speak to Enterprise's success. This nonprofit group has invested $18.6 billion into communities around the country. It has helped create nearly 340,000 homes. It's lifted up millions of people, from the families in those homes to their offspring who've been sent down a new path. Terri Ludwig is the president and CEO of Enterprise, and it...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news