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Harnessing the Communities of Resilience and Excellence Framework to Advance Population Health: The Healthy West Kendall Experience

Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: Fragmented community efforts often dilute health‐improvement initiatives. The Communities of Resilience and Excellence (C.O.R.E) Guide offers a Baldrige-based systems approach that aligns cross‐sector partners around shared metrics and continuous improvement cycles for collective impact. West Kendall, an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County with over 340,000 residents, adopted the framework in response to rising chronic disease burden and socioeconomic disparities. Methods: West Kendall Baptist Hospital served as the backbone organization that aligned multi-sector partners, implemented evidence-based interventions, and tracked community-level outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional evaluation of the Healthy West Kendall initiative's impact across various regions in Miami-Dade County and overall U.S. data, utilizing the C.O.R.E. Guide as our framework. Trends were compared from 2022 to 2024. Results: Implementation of the C.O.R.E Guide and initiative portfolio resulted in measurable gains across the community. Over 37,000 free biometric screenings and nursing interventions were provided. Among returning visitors, 85% improved glucose levels, 73% reduced total cholesterol, and 50% lowered blood pressure. Hypertension admissions declined while hospitalizations for diabetes rose but remained substantially lower than county or state averages. The high school graduation rate increased to 97.4%; however, third‐grade English‐Language Arts proficiency decreased. The local economy strengthened, median household income increased, and unemployment remained low despite market volatility. The Community Business Partners network expanded to 250 members. Discussion: Embedding the C.O.R.E Guide transformed disparate activities into a coordinated, data-driven system that advanced residents’ health and developed an active and vibrant community. The model is scalable for communities lacking formal government structures and underscores the importance of sustained partnerships, transparent metrics, and leadership coaching.
DOI: 10.55481/2578-3750.1246
Authors: Cristina Brito, Simone Cheong, Stephanie Norling, Michelle Mejia, Sandra R McLean, Carlos E Hernandez, Lourdes Boue, Zuanel Diaz, Javier Hernandez-Lichtl
Language: English
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4417266538
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