Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q)

Humboldt County is one of 15 communities participating in the Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q).

Aligning Forces for Quality is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's (RWJF) signature effort to lift the overall quality of health care in targeted communities, reduce racial and ethnic disparities and provide models for national reform. AF4Q asks the people who get care, give care and pay for care to work together toward common, fundamental objectives to lead to better care.

The $300 million commitment to improve health care in 15 communities, that together cover 11 percent of the U.S. population, is the largest effort of its kind ever undertaken by a U.S. philanthropy.

The Aligning Forces for Quality initiative in Humboldt County is led by the Community Health Alliance of Humboldt-Del Norte.

The Humboldt County-AF4Q initiative is a collaborative project of many local organizations and individuals interested in improving the quality of health care. The effort fosters a high-quality, integrated, patient-centered system of care that is accessible to all North Coast residents. The project has three aims - provider measurement and public reporting, patient involvement, and medical care improvement activities - to improve the medical care and self-care of patients, particularly those with diabetes.

Learn more about this national initiative at www.forces4quality.org.

Leadership Team

The local Aligning Forces for Quality leadership team is made up of 16 individuals representing local consumers, employers, medical groups and area hospitals. The leadership team helps strategize local AF4Q objectives and improve health care quality, equality in care, consumer engagement, and cost structures in our community.

Local AF4Q Focus Areas

St. Joseph Health Systems, The Independent Practice Association, and the Humboldt AF4Q community is focused on:

• Performance Measurement
• Public Reporting
• Quality Improvement in Medical Offices and Hospitals
• Consumer Engagement
• Improving Equality in Health Care

Consumer Engagement Overview and Goals

As the lead in the local AF4Q Consumer Engagement efforts, Community Health Alliance is committed to supporting individuals in managing their health care, understanding quality health care concepts, and partnering with their health care teams. Through programs like "Our Pathways to Health", local health care quality events, and public outreach, the Community Health Alliance is here to act as a resource for consumers.