Communities of Solution: The Folsom Report Revisited

Health is not a commodity that can be given. It must be generated from within. Similarly, health action cannot and should not be an effort imposed from outside and foreign to the people; rather it must be a response of the community to the problems that the people in the community perceive, carried out in a way that is acceptable to them and properly supported by an adequate infrastructure.

Efforts to address the current fragmented US health care structure, including controversial federal reform, cannot succeed without a reinvigoration of community-centered health systems. A blueprint for systematic implementation of community services exists in the 1967 Folsom Report—calling for “communities of solution.” We propose an updated vision of the Folsom Report for integrated and effective services, incorporating the principles of community-oriented primary care. The 21st century primary care physician must be a true public health professional, forming partnerships and assisting data sharing with community organizations to facilitate healthy changes. Current policy reform efforts should build upon Folsom Report’s goal of transforming personal and population health.