HealthConnect Blog

Welcome! This is a space for our partners to share perspectives on how we address the social drivers of health by using data and centering those who are closest to community health issues. You are invited to learn with us and share these posts with others as we work together to achieve measurable impact on improving the well-being of underresourced populations.

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Maternal Mental Health Systems Change

HealthConnect Fellows
Feb 20, 2026
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Finding Nature in Every Space

HealthConnect Fellows
Jan 16, 2026
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More Than Prostate Cancer: Lessons from Save the Homies Day

HealthConnect Fellows
Dec 12, 2025
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Creating a Culture of Inclusivity

How Prioritizing Communication Can Propel Your Workplace Forward

Authentic engagement
Dec 6, 2023
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How Community Health Workers Can Improve Heart Health

Authentic engagement
Nov 27, 2023
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How Medical-Legal Partnerships Can Link Systems to Improve Health Outcomes

HealthConnect Fellows
Sep 18, 2023
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Creating a Culture of Sustainability in Helping Professions

HealthConnect Fellows
Sep 8, 2023
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Meet Dr. Daniel Zinnel, Incoming Mid-Iowa Health Foundation Board Member

Foundation news
Aug 2, 2023
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Using Data for Systems-Level Advocacy

Advocacy
Jul 28, 2023
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7 Benefits of a Statewide System Approach to Community Health Work

HealthConnect Fellows
Jul 27, 2023
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Why I Advocate for Heart Disease Preventive Strategies

HealthConnect Fellows
Jul 11, 2023
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4 Ways to Center Youth in Mental Health Conversations

Authentic engagement
Jun 6, 2023
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Economic Burden of Health Inequities: 5 Insights to Inform Action

Social determinants of health
Jun 1, 2023
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Disability Rights Attorney Shares What Iowans Should Know About Medicaid

HealthConnect Fellows
May 18, 2023
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Health Equity Work in Action: What Funders Should Know

Funder practices
Apr 5, 2023
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Basic Income: 4 Things to Know

Partnerships
Apr 4, 2023
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Prioritizing Advocacy: How a Nonprofit Created a Full-Time Role

Advocacy
Feb 1, 2023
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Meet the team leading UpLift – The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot

Foundation grants
Dec 8, 2022
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HealthConnect Fellows: Engaging authentically in systems change

Authentic engagement
Dec 7, 2022
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7 insights gained through a nonprofit merger

Foundation grants
Nov 17, 2022
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Six Elements to Consider with Community Conversations

Authentic engagement
Oct 4, 2022
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Community-Based Participatory Research: What to Know

Authentic engagement
Oct 3, 2022
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How student research informed the basic income project

Action planning
Sep 20, 2022
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How empathy is a part of systems-change work

Authentic engagement
Sep 2, 2022
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Making the Case: Communications Tactics that Work

Advocacy
Jul 26, 2022
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4 ways to measure system-change progress

System change
May 31, 2022
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Health disparities for Black pregnant Iowans: What you should know

Social determinants of health
May 26, 2022
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5 reasons why youth should lead systems-change work

Authentic engagement
May 5, 2022
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What we mean by 'system change'

System change
Apr 6, 2022
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4 insights from researching housing instability in central Iowa

Social determinants of health
Mar 3, 2022
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Iowa youth aging out of foster care: How are they doing?

Authentic engagement
Feb 3, 2022
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7 lessons learned from Sesame Street partnership

Foundation grants
Jan 31, 2022
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A closer look at mental health in schools during the pandemic

Community response
Nov 29, 2021
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Get to Know Dr. Nalo Johnson

Foundation news
Nov 24, 2021
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4 questions for nonprofit and community leaders

Authentic engagement
Nov 8, 2021
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5 questions for leaders in philanthropy

Funder practices
Nov 5, 2021
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5 ways to think about your personal brand as a part of your work

Leadership
Nov 1, 2021
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4 issues impacting children’s health during the pandemic

Social determinants of health
Oct 12, 2021
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7 lessons learned about systems change work

System change
Sep 9, 2021
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The Foundation's role in the HealthConnect Fellowship

Funder practices
Sep 8, 2021
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Go ahead: Brag a little

Leadership
Aug 5, 2021
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Planning from strength: questions to ask your team

Advocacy
Apr 26, 2021
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Preparing yourself to center the voices of those impacted by issues

Authentic engagement
Apr 23, 2021
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Vision vs. Tactics: How we can achieve the change we want to see

Action planning
Feb 22, 2021
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System-change achievements advocates are making for central Iowa’s kids

HealthConnect Fellows
Feb 1, 2021
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How we can begin to find peace in 2021

HealthConnect Fellows
Jan 8, 2021
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Disconnection matters

System change
Nov 24, 2020
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3 questions to reshape your policy agenda

Advocacy
Oct 30, 2020
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What you should know about homelessness in central Iowa during the pandemic

Community response
Oct 26, 2020
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Leading system change, even in times of uncertainty

System change
Jul 22, 2020
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We must all do our part to be anti-racist

HealthConnect Fellows
Jul 14, 2020
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Lessons in preventing burnout

HealthConnect Fellows
Jul 13, 2020
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5 barriers pregnant women in poverty face in getting the care they need

Social determinants of health
Jul 1, 2020
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What I've learned about system-change work during this time of crisis

System change
Jun 11, 2020
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What the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us about system change

System change
May 10, 2020
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We have the resources to build a better food system here in Iowa

Social determinants of health
May 8, 2020
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What we should do about COVID-19 racial disparities in Iowa

Advocacy
May 6, 2020
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11 best practices for working from home during COVID-19

Leadership
Apr 8, 2020
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5 things you must know about migrant farmworkers in Iowa

Community response
Mar 30, 2020
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4 ways to understand weight stigma and promote a healthier community

HealthConnect Fellows
Feb 17, 2020
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5 lessons learned in building the village of support for early-grade reading

HealthConnect Fellows
Feb 10, 2020
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How we can increase everyone's access to quality foods

HealthConnect Fellows
Jan 30, 2020
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Approaching storytelling with authentic engagement

Authentic engagement
Jan 20, 2020
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How my advocacy work became personal

Advocacy
Jan 6, 2020
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Your town might keep you from meeting your New Year's resolution

HealthConnect Fellows
Dec 31, 2019
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The best professional advice I have ever received

HealthConnect Fellows
Dec 9, 2019
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Exploring a new use for the Count the Kicks app through fellow connections

HealthConnect Fellows
Dec 2, 2019
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We all can do better for Iowa’s children and families

System change
Nov 27, 2019
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A fellow's perspective: Getting to do the work we should be doing

System change
Nov 25, 2019
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One voice for a children’s mental health system

System change
Nov 15, 2019
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Cultivating Change: How the HealthConnect Fellowship lifted a network of advocates to improve children's health

System change
Nov 15, 2019
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18 HealthConnect Fellows to advance system changes to improve children’s health

HealthConnect Fellows
Nov 15, 2019
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Persistence for quality health care

HealthConnect Fellows
Nov 14, 2019
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Who's at your table?

Advocacy
Nov 13, 2019
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A call to action for Latinx youth

Authentic engagement
Nov 12, 2019
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Putting the pieces together for children to learn

Partnerships
Nov 9, 2019
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Housing code for healthier lives

Advocacy
Nov 7, 2019
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Connecting systems, connecting families

HealthConnect Fellows
Nov 4, 2019
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Transforming practices to prevent trauma before birth

System change
Oct 31, 2019
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Six insights from listening to health advocates' stories

HealthConnect Fellows
Oct 28, 2019
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A small, thoughtful group isn't the only thing

Grassroots
Oct 16, 2019
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4 skills to being an effective leader in advocacy

Action planning
Aug 23, 2019
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The look of our community is still impacted by decades old policy choices

HealthConnect Fellows
Jul 31, 2019
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Medicaid makes a difference

HealthConnect Fellows
Jul 31, 2019
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If we're going to reduce trauma and family stress, we have to start at the very beginning

Foundation grants
Jul 31, 2019
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The power is in the partnership

HealthConnect Fellows
Jul 31, 2019
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Decolonizing every table

System change
Jul 31, 2019
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Latinx youth mental health: Resiliency and its limitations

Authentic engagement
Mar 7, 2019
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What does opportunity look like for Iowa children (and are we doing the right things help them thrive)?

Social determinants of health
Nov 29, 2018
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Compassion architects activate and spread compassion

Leadership
Oct 4, 2018
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Mobilizing the political will to develop a children's mental health system in Iowa

HealthConnect Fellows
Aug 3, 2018
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The power of positive stressors

HealthConnect Fellows
Jul 12, 2018
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Together, inching closer to a tipping point on children's issues

Advocacy
May 22, 2018
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Housing policy is health policy (and education policy, and economic policy...)

Social determinants of health
Mar 29, 2018
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Long-haul Advocacy: Adopting a long-term, sustained advocacy approach to effective child health systems change

Advocacy
Mar 29, 2018
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What do youth who are homeless need? And how far am I willing to go to help?

HealthConnect Fellows
Jan 31, 2018
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Mid-Iowa Health Foundation announces new strategic initiative

Foundation news
Oct 23, 2017
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Taking a new approach - A MIHF board member's perspective

System change
Oct 23, 2017
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The teachers will learn and the students will teach

Partnerships
Oct 23, 2017
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I have a dream... and an action plan

System change
Oct 23, 2017
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Decision-makers arent' acting as we'd like: Three reasons

Advocacy
Oct 23, 2017
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When you have that "aha" moment, there's no going back

System change
Oct 23, 2017
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