FAMILY WELLBEING IS KEY TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
In 2016, the US Chamber of Commerce released a study called “Health and the Economy: The Impact of Wellness on Workforce Productivity” estimating the economic cost of productivity losses due to ill health around the world.
The report, was the first one of its kind to examine losses that arise from absenteeism, presenteeism (people that are present at work but not working at full capacity due to illness) and early retirement (due to illness). While the report is in no way comprehensive, it finds that economic costs related to the causes before mentioned are high and projected to increase, threatening to impose heavy burdens on businesses, governments and individuals.
In 2018, the Institute for People, Place, and Possibility (IP3), the organization that stewards Community Commons, has furiously worked behind the scenes to help launch Well Being Legacy, in partnership with Well Being Trust, Community Initiatives and The Rippel Foundation/Rethink Health seeing to lift up a living agenda that brings together the most promising policies, practices, and investments to drive intergenerational community wellbeing.
The value of a healthy year of life for an individual or a community, has innumerable dimensions, benefits including the ability to attend school, work, care for children, start a business, in summary, to work toward the aspirations of self-sufficiency and economic mobility all families and individuals share.
For immigrants, an invisible framework - basic knowledge and understanding of the American system, is missing, exacerbating barriers to cope with illnesses and finding appropriate health providers and resources for their needs. In Georgia, for 50% of all Hispanic families, the lack of proper documentation, adds one more layer of complexity to accessing healthcare and information and services not only to treat illnesses but to prevent those as well.
In Georgia, according to the US Census, there are 33,000 Hispanic-owned businesses, having the fastest growth rate of Latinas opening businesses and the fastest growth rate of the Latino population in the nation . Specifically in Atlanta, we rank the 4th city in the country with the largest percentage of Hispanics who are foreign born.
With the median age of Hispanics/Latinx in Metro Atlanta being 26, childhood poverty at 41% (Pew Hispanic Center) understanding the social determinations for health and wellbeing and their impact in the economic development of the state is critical for the development of appropriate and equitable policies, programs, services and planning in general.
According to the Atlanta Regional Commission, the top issues concerning Metro Atlanta residents are transportation, human services and health. There are close to 60,000 Hispanic-owned businesses in Georgia.
While there are many special events, social functions and networking opportunities, the Latino Summit & Forum is the only programatic activity aiming at peer-learning, convening and develop collaborations and resources
