The big picture for this special issue: The state of the field, article highlights, and a look into the future

Abstract

The articles in this special issue are timely. Each discusses a matter of critical importance to an emerging field united by the goal of aligning healthcare, public health, and social services in an otherwise deeply fragmented national and international context. In this commentary, we describe the state of this emerging field, highlight some of the insights in this special issue that may help move the field forward, and then outline several features of this field that are coming into focus as we look at the years ahead.

Developing an Indigenous systems alignment framework: A call for direct funding

“…to collaboratively implement strategies for sustained alignment, with the goals of health equity, racial equity, and outcomes defined by community. 15 The strategies take into account context of shared systems (e.g., governance, finance, data, and shared purpose) and the relationships (e.g., community voice, trust, equity, and power dynamics) that ensure their sustainability and success. 15 , 16 The advantage of the GHPC Framework is its generalizability and adaptability to community and local contexts.…”

“…They reference the GHPC Framework , Figure 1 , specifically the components of shared systems (e.g., purpose, data, and governance) and internal‐external relationships (e.g., community voice, trust, power dynamics) for long‐term collaborations toward community defined outcomes. 15 , 16 …”

“…Within the GHPC Framework , Figure 1 , it is most closely associated with relationships that center community voice, trust, and power dynamics within aligned systems for community health needs and goals. 15 , 16 …”