Experience gained in earlier collaboratives was utilized in establishing a framework and structure for the Partnership that emerged as the Healthy New Orleans: The City That Cares initiative. Unlike previous collaborative processes that developed in response to particular needs, the Healthy New Orleans Partnership had the potential of working on systems problems that contributed to poor health outcomes, fragmentation, inadequate services and inefficiencies. The Healthy New Orleans collaborative process was initiated in response to a call for Letters of Intent from the WK Kellogg and Robert Wood Johnson Foundations. In February 1997 a public forum with 75 stakeholders in attendance was held at the United Way of the Greater New Orleans area to introduce the community to the Turning Point initiative and to discuss community health issues. The Healthy New Orleans Partnership was funded in December 1997 as one of three local partnerships along with the State Initiative.
During 1997, the application year, the local partnership struggled with issues of 1) establishing and defining the structure of the partnership; 2) building trust; and 3) recruiting and engaging stakeholders. The Goal of Healthy New Orleans is to "improve the health status of New Orleans
through a collaborative that develops and implements a Community Health Improvement Plan focusing on individuals, families and community with children as a priority." Objectives consisted of 1) creating a comprehensive, coordinated public health partnership; 2) conducting a community assessment of needs; 3) developing a comprehensive Community Health Improvement Plan; 4) participating in the development of communication and information systems; 5) expanding the vision of a Healthy New Orleans through new technical understanding and a commitment of leadership and resources from community, business and municipal stakeholders; and 6) monitoring and evaluating the planning process.
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