Precision Community Health is the story of a medical doctor in the USA, who whilst treating a hospital patient for hypothermia, realised he was doing little good – if the patient was going to spend the next night in the freezing cold, due to unaffordable bills or being homeless.
We can’t keep people healthy, if they don’t have a roof over their head, and food on the table. Bechara Choucair
Once Bechara Choicair became health commissioner for Chicago, he embarked on an ambitious experiment, addressing the societal causes of disease, rather than focusing on bed-blocking in hospitals. Instead of applauding the launch of new supermarkets and Amazon warehouses that send communities further apart, he focused on four simple areas of wellbeing.
The result? Far lower cases of smoking, teen pregnancies and even breast cancer mortality. His book is basically a manual, for any other community to do the same. ‘Being well’ is not just about access to a GP. It’s about forward-thinking GPs creating programs like this, so they are less overwhelmed by ill patients in the first place.
Real health is about decent housing (but not destroying green space and wildlife to build it), enjoyable jobs, better public parks, affordable organic food and social support.
No-one has worked harder to improve urban public health than Bechara Choucair. It’s gratifying to see the innovations he pioneered in Chicago, making a difference elsewhere. His book is a must-read for anyone who cares about effective health policy. Rahm Emanuel
About the Author
Bechara Choucair (a family doctor by training) was commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health from 2009 to 2014. He is currently senior vice president and chief community health officer at Kaiser Permanente.
