Improving the Health of Our Communities

Population health is a team endeavor, requiring the alignment of diverse perspectives and expertise to improve health equity and access to healthcare. Creighton is connected to the communities that surround us in a variety of ways across several disciplines. The Institute for Population Health sits at the intersection of these initiatives and more.

Since its founding in 1878, Creighton has made it a priority to engage with our communities, working to make our shared home a better, healthier place to live and work for everyone. As an embodiment of Creighton’s mission, the IPH builds authentic, trusted partnerships in the community for the purpose of improving health and health equity in the communities we serve.

Creighton’s Work in the Community

The IPH works with community partners and health systems to address the many factors that impact our individual and collective health. By bringing together a wide range of stakeholders—healthcare providers, educators, business leaders, social service providers, community organizations, policy makers, clergy, and more— we can better promote healthy behavior, improve access to primary and preventive care, and reduce health disparities.

Learn more about our current initiatives and how you can get involved.

Creighton at Highlander: Partnering for Community Wellbeing

Creighton is proud to be part of 75 North’s efforts to revitalize the Highlander neighborhood of North Omaha. The Highlander Accelerator, a hub for education, wellness and community engagement, opened in 2018 as part of 75 North’s initiative. Creighton joined to support community wellness, offering programs focused on health education, legal services for juveniles and outreach. Now managed by Creighton’s Institute for Population Health, Creighton at Highlander continues to provide vital resources. Explore how Creighton’s presence at Highlander is making a difference in the community.

President’s Funds in Population Health

The President’s Fund in Population Health was established to encourage and support faculty-led efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of communities at the population level. Administered by the IPH, faculty are supported in various initiatives that improve the health of targeted populations through needs assessments, implementation of interventions, and their evaluation and sustainability. The 2024 President’s Fund in Population Health projects include Meeting Patients Where They Are: A Street Psychiatry Initiative, Life Together: Seeking What Makes Us Whole (understanding loneliness on Creighton’s campus), Listening and Learning: Experiences of North and South Omaha Residents in partnership with CHI Healthy Communities, Creighton Connecting Children, Youth, and Families at the Stephen Center, and Fostering Health Equity Through a Community-Based Advanced Care Planning Clinic.

UNMC, AAMC and Community-based Organizations

Creighton’s IPH is co-lead with University of Nebraska Medical Center on a grant from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Center for Health Justice along with 10 community partners to use and evaluate the association’s “Principles of Trustworthiness” toolkit for one year.

ALIGN Nebraska

IPH Executive Director Scott Shipman, MD, MPH, is a member of the statewide quality measures group for ALIGN Nebraska’s Maternal Child Health project. The project aims to improve the quality of healthcare provided to children and pregnant women by increasing access to quality prenatal care to help reduce the rates of preterm births and other maternal/neonatal complications and through ongoing quality improvement projects with healthcare clinics.

Nebraska Maternal Health Task Force

An IPH team member serves on the Nebraska Maternal Health Task Force, designed to assess state maternal care and coverage, identify gaps, assist state maternal health innovation (MHI) staff, develop and implement a state-focused strategic plan and help MHI program staff carry out new interventions addressing critical gaps in service delivery. This task force is organized by I Be Black Girl with grant funding from the Health Resources and Service Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

CommonSpirit Health

The IPH has partnered with CommonSpirit Health to provide implementation and evaluation support for its community health worker programs and maternity care doulas, and to provide implementation support for its social determinants of health screening programs. IPH Executive Director Scott Shipman, MD, MPH, also serves on the organization’s national Optimizing Clinical Care Subcommittee and the CHI Value-Based Team Care Board.

Nebraska Rural Health Association

The IPH has partnered with the Nebraska Rural Health Association’s “I Love Rural Health” campaign to celebrate strength and success across Nebraska rural health care. The IPH embraces NRHA's vision for a vibrant future for rural Nebraska communities where high-quality physical and mental healthcare is the thread that unites healthy humans with a prosperous place to live. First Nation communities such as the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska enjoy a rich culture and tradition, but face many challenges. Winnebago has embraced the essential role of healthcare in the community’s future. Learn about the amazing work of the Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System (courtesy NRHA).