Silver Arrow Strategies recently supported the Missouri Foundation for Health as it convened over 150 stakeholders from across the state interested in health and transportation to discuss best and emerging practices, share ideas, and identify potential paths forward to reduce transportation-related barriers to care. The convening was inspired by widespread concern about the negative impact that transportation issues can pose to Missourians’ health and well-being. This gathering furthered a valuable dialog between people working in both the transportation and health sectors, as they shared promising practices and lessons learned about ways to positively influence transportation investments and policies. Check out the convening agenda, post-convening report and resource library.
Together, participants engaged in cross-sector discussions, collaboration, and exploration of potential solutions, remaining challenges, and tactical next steps. The convening pointed to the following findings:
- The transportation system is shaped by complex policy and funding structures
- Upstream impact requires data sharing and cross-sector planning
- Transportation solutions must be community centered and reflect local context
- Existing transportation resources and assets can be better aligned and coordinated
- A statewide assessment of service gaps is needed using common data and language
Four recommendations also emerged for participants to pursue:
- Connect with the statewide taskforce and existing advocacy efforts
- Conduct regional workshops and organizing to examine local service gaps and explore community-driven solutions
- Establish common data capture, sharing, and reporting protocols
- Amplify and integrate government funding sources
This event was part of Missouri Foundation for Health’s convening strategy. MFH uses convenings as a changemaking tool to “connect the dots,” between people, organizations, ideas, information, and resources to facilitate change at the systems level. For this critical statewide convening, Silver Arrow Strategies conducted stakeholder outreach, assembled expert panels, developed pre-convening materials, managed speaker logistics, and developed the report of convening findings and associated resource library. If you are building a movement as a convener or backbone organization, we can help you and your stakeholders clarify your purpose, plans and partners for the road ahead.