CONTACT: Kyle Massey, communications manager, Root Cause Coalition, 202-266-2608

WASHINGTON, DC, March 28, 2018 – The Root Cause Coalition and the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities today announced that both organizations will become formal members of the other’s network. Through this effort, the two organizations will build on their mutual missions and demonstrate effective ways—in both practice and policy—to improve health outcomes and achieve health equity.

This partnership is a striking example of the increasing recognition that an individual’s ZIP code, socio-economic standing, and race have a greater influence on their health and well-being than the effectiveness of their primary health care. The Root Cause Coalition and the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities will bring the health care and human services sectors together to innovate, evaluate, and scale workable solutions to key drivers of health inequity in their constituent communities.

“The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities brings an exciting new dimension to our Coalition’s growing membership,” said Barbara Petee, executive director of the Root Cause Coalition. “The Alliance has a proven track record of harnessing the knowledge, leadership and expertise of community-based organizations in service of the broader goal of building health equity—a goal we share with each of our partner and member organizations.”

“We are honored to join The Root Cause Coalition and welcome them to the Alliance’s strategic action network,” said Susan Dreyfus, President and CEO of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities. “America’s community-based human services organizations share the commitment of health care organizations to improving the health and well-being of all people in our country. We believe that we are stronger together and that the formation of deep and enduring partnerships between health care and human services will be vital to our nation’s success.”

The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, a national, strategic action network of community-based human services organizations, works with thousands of committed social sector leaders to help their organizations more positively impact their communities. The Alliance believes that access to affordable, preventive, fully integrated physical and mental health care is a foundational support that every person and community needs to thrive. By working in partnership across the health and human services sector to address the social determinants of health and drive effective care coordination and early intervention and prevention programs, the Alliance works to identify ways to improve population health outcomes and bend the health care cost curve.

The Alliance is the fifth organization to join the Root Cause Coalition in 2018, following the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Second Harvest Heartland, LISC, and the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation.

About The Root Cause Coalition

Established in 2015, The Root Cause Coalition is a non-profit, member-driven organization comprised of more than 45 leading health systems, hospital associations, foundations, businesses, national and community nonprofits, health insurers, academic institutions and policy centers. The Coalition works to achieve health equity through cross-sector collaboration in advocacy, education and research. For more information, visit www.rootcausecoalition.org and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the Alliance

The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities is a strategic action network of thousands of committed social sector leaders who through their excellence, distinction, and influence are working to achieve a healthy and equitable society. We aggregate the very best sector knowledge and serve as an incubator for learning and innovation to generate new solutions to the toughest problems. We accelerate change through dynamic leadership development and collective actions to ensure policies and systems provide equal access and opportunity for all people in our nation to reach their full potential through improvements in health and well-being, educational success, economic opportunity, and safety and security. Go to alliance1.org for more information.