Wellness is Everyone's Business
2014
This case study looks at public health challenges in Minnesota during and following the 2008 economic recession, with a focus on smoking and obesity. It focuses on a major health reform law aimed to reduce costs and the resulting Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), which sought to reduce smoking and obesity rates. The case invites students to consider the promise and challenges of public-private partnerships to promote workplace and community wellness and, ultimately, to improve statewide health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
The case is part of a series produced by the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Case Program, hosted by the HKS Strengthening Learning and Teaching Excellence (SLATE) initiative, the world’s largest producer and repository of case studies designed for teaching about how government works and how public policy is made. Each case in the series is designed to train public leaders, and introduces actual policy dilemmas along with data to equip students to learn how to apply the rigor of quantitative analysis in the real world.
This case may be purchased for a nominal fee; registered educators may obtain a free review copy. Online supplemental resources include short free documents and videos on how to teach with the case method, as well as downloadable related tip sheets and questions for class discussion.
Wellness is Everyone's Business
Source:
Weeks J. Wellness is Everyone’s Business: Public-Private Partnerships for Health in Minnesota. HKS Case No. 2004.0. Harvard Kennedy School Case Program 2014. http://case.hks.harvard.edu/wellness-is-everyones-business-public-private-partnerships-for-health-in-minnesota.