ABILENE, TX – Bastrop County is a finalist for a $25,000 national health prize that honors communities at the forefront of providing health equity to residents.
The county is a finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize, which is a collaboration between the foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
Bastrop County is the only 2021 finalist from Texas, and the county is also the state’s first rural community to be recognized by the prize.
“To the Bastrop County community, this is a moment to recognize and celebrate your hard work, resilience, collaboration and collective can-do attitude,” said Debbie Bresette, the executive director of Bastrop County Cares, a local nonprofit focused on improving the social determinants of health in the county.
Bastrop County is one of nine finalist communities from across the country. The winner will be announced this fall.
The other eight finalists are: Anne Arundel County, Md.; Howard County, Md.; Freehold Borough, N.J.; Green Bay, Wis.; Palm Beach County, Fla.; Rocky Mount, N.C.; Salinas, Calif.; and the Thunder Valley Community within the Oglala Lakota Nation (Oceti Sakowin Territory).
The finalists were announced in February.
In the announcement, the foundation said the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and growing inequality across the country has underscored the importance of community health conditions.
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute also produces County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, a national program that provides data, evidence, guidance and examples to build awareness of the factors that influence health and support people in communities working to improve health equity.
The rankings measure the health of nearly every county in the country.
In the 2021 rankings, Bastrop County is ranked in the 75-100% range for health outcomes in Texas — meaning that it’s considered among the healthiest counties in the state.
To be considered as a finalist for the prize, communities had to showcase work and collaboration happening across sectors to expand health opportunities for residents.
The efforts had to reflect six specific criteria: defining health in the broadest possible terms; committing to sustainable systems changes and policy-oriented long-term solutions; creating conditions to give all people a fair and just opportunity to reach best possible health; maximizing collective power of leaders, partners and community members; securing and making the most of available resources; and measuring and sharing progress and results.
Bresette said Bastrop County’s recognition for the prize was due to people who helped the county progress in four key initiatives: the affordable housing coalition, the resilience design team and its healing history community conversation series, the early childhood coalition and the Bastrop connects community engagement platform.
“This work would not be possible without the goodwill and financial support of our partners and funders,” Bresette said.
The finalist communities will now participate in a series of virtual community reflection conversations with leaders, residents and representatives from the prize program.
In addition to the $25,000 prize, the winning community also gains a national platform to promote its health equity story.
“RWJF Culture of Health Prize communities offer important examples of places where partners are coming together to cultivate a shared commitment to equity so all residents can thrive,” said Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who is now president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
