Missoula Invest Health

Background

In 2016, Missoula was one of 50 mid-size cities selected from across the nation for an opportunity to work with national leaders and peer communities at the forefront of addressing health equity. This national initiative has been sponsored by Reinvestment Fund in partnership and with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and sustained over the years through the education, action, and embracement of our community and community leaders.

What began as an effort to assist 50 small to mid-size cities around the nation has sustained into localized movements of elevated awareness and action to address the social determinants of health (e.g., housing, safety and resilience, transportation, education and employment, and local food systems and production) in our communities. Initiatives over the years; data collection and reporting; sharing of best practice resources; and building community engagement and partnerships are all helping to move the needle and elevate action within the community aimed at investing in health in our community.

Current Initiatives

Missoula Invest Health is honored to be a recipient of a portion of a Reinvestment Funds Collaborative Grants Award. The partnerships formed through this initiative and opportunities are valuable investments into our community. Our local teams will focus on new learning and collaboration opportunities in partnership with other communities focused on issues including aligning justice and equity and operationalizing health equity policies. These learning opportunities will extend through the summer of 2022.

Franklin to the Fort Community Conversation from Fall, 2021

In fall 2021, Missoula Invest Health collaborative engaged with the Missoula City-County Health Dept. and the University of Montana to learn what social and community problems and solutions exist in our Invest Health neighborhoods and to see how our community residents have been affected by the pandemic. Learn what we discovered from a special block of Franklin to Fort neighborhood residents.