GHPC’s local wellness fund framework includes three domains — sources, uses and structure.
- Sources refers to where a wellness fund receives its money.
- Uses encompass both what a fund spends its money on as well as the fund’s purpose, desired outcome, and intended impact.
- Structure comprises the governance, oversight, stewardship and accountability for a local wellness fund.
The three domains do not operate independently. Rather, they are integrally connected and influence one another. For example, a local wellness fund’s sources might influence how funding is used and what accountability structure is in place. How the funds are used can impact where the money comes and how the wellness fund is governed.
- Trust for America’s Health. (2016). Sustainable Funding for Healthy Communities Local Health Trusts:
Structures to Support Local Coordination of Funds. Accessed at https://tfah.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Local-Health-Trusts-Convening-Summary.pdf - Hughes, D. L., & Mann, C. (2020, April). Financing The Infrastructure of Accountable Communities for Health Is Key to Long-Term Sustainability. Health Affairs. Retrieved from https:/www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01581
The Georgia Health Policy Center found that most local wellness funds operating nationally in 2019 were located where funding mechanisms established by the Affordable Care Act (e.g., Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program, State Innovation Model, and waiver funds) were supporting the work of backbone organizations and operational costs, which underscores how critical funding for backbone support and administration is to a local wellness fund.
