For more than two decades, Community Catalyst has partnered with local, state, and national leaders to advance effective population health strategies and health system transformation that centers the needs of people and communities. We’ve worked alongside more than 300 organizations across 45 states—including incubating health-focused non-profits in nine states—to drive change through technical assistance, capacity building, and consulting services. Our clients include coalitions, state and federal agencies, health systems, and health plans.
In an ever-shifting policy and political landscape, our deep knowledge of how the health system operates—combined with our practical experience advancing community-informed solutions—makes us a trusted resource for clients seeking impact that lasts. We don’t just understand policy; we understand how it shows up in people’s lives, how to translate policy to practice, and how to embed practice insights into policy solutions. That perspective grounds our belief that policy and practice must be shaped by patients and communities and guided by real-world insight.
Community Catalyst supports health system transformation from the inside out. Through our consulting services and community engagement expertise, we help build cross-sector partnerships—with health plans, hospitals, providers, government agencies, and implementation teams—that center community voices and leadership at every stage of policy and practice change.
Our goal is to shape innovation and accountability within the health system itself—one that reflects the lived experiences of the people it serves. By working across the health care and public health ecosystems, we support the implementation of government policies and the development of health plans and health systems’ internal structures and practices that improve population health outcomes.
This approach deepens our collective impact and reflects our long-standing commitment to building a health system that is people-first, community-informed, and responsive to evolving needs.
Whether you’re a potential client, partner, or curious stakeholder, our consulting services are designed to align with your mission and meet the moment. As you explore our strategic portfolios below, know that this is just a window into our work. We’re ready to help bring your vision to life and advance a stronger, more community-rooted health system.
Our approach focuses on building the capacity of community members, grassroots organizations, and coalitions to meaningfully engage with public health and health care delivery systems. We equip partners with tools, training, and resources to collaborate effectively with health system leaders, researchers, and policymakers—creating shared solutions rooted in lived experience.
Through methods like focus groups, listening sessions, and co-design processes, we elevate community insights to inform strategy and implementation. Our work includes advising health systems on establishing and sustaining community advisory boards, facilitating dynamic communities of practice, and delivering engaging webinars and trainings.
Every assessment, action plan, and public health program we help design is grounded in a person-centered approach. By bridging the gap between policy and practice, we foster collaboration that leads to meaningful, lasting change in both public health and health care systems.
We lead research, evaluation, and thought leadership at the intersection of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and health system transformation. We bring together the expertise of patients, caregivers, and community leaders with insights from practitioners, policymakers, and other health sector stakeholders.
Using mixed-methods research, we pair qualitative insights with data analysis to improve how care is delivered and experienced—making it more affordable, easier to navigate, better for patients, and more sustainable for the people who provide it.
We don’t just conduct research about communities—we do it with them. Community members actively shape the questions we ask, the methods we use, and how findings are shared. We work to address power dynamics in the research process, centering the lived experiences that numbers alone can’t capture.
Through partnerships with health systems and public health leaders, we translate community-informed insights into concrete changes in practice and policy. Our goal: to help build a health system that listens, learns, and ultimately works better for everyone.
We deliver health policy analysis that is both rigorous and responsive to today’s complex landscape. We tailor our approach to meet the needs of each client and challenge—offering everything from impact evaluations and strategic policy recommendations to custom research, workshops, and stakeholder engagement.
No matter the partner—community organizations, government agencies, health systems, or the private sector—we focus on the people behind the policies and programs. We dig beneath the surface to reveal the deeper trends and possibilities that lead to smarter, more effective solutions.
Our work goes beyond interpretation—we turn complex health policy into clear, actionable insights. We help decision-makers understand how policies affect people and offer strategies to reduce harm and expand access to care.
By bridging policy with real-world outcomes, we support smarter decisions, stronger systems, and healthier communities.
Effective communication is essential to improving health outcomes—and Community Catalyst brings the strategy, skills, and on-the-ground experience to make it happen. Through our community-first public health work, we’ve engaged more than 163 million people, facilitated over 232,000 health interventions, trained over 125,000 community-level spokespersons, and developed more than 500,000 culturally relevant resources to support healthier behaviors and informed decision-making.
Our communications expertise extends beyond awareness. We create space for meaningful dialogue—within communities, across coalitions, and throughout health systems—to surface real challenges and co-develop solutions. Whether in local gathering spaces or virtual town halls, our approach is rooted in cultural humility, active listening, and transparency.
This work strengthens relationships, builds community power, and helps shape a health system that listens, adapts, and delivers better outcomes for all.
Community Catalyst is committed to building a health system that works for all people and communities—one where everyone has access to the care they need and is treated with dignity and respect.
Our strength lies in partnering with organizations nationwide to drive policy and practice change that reflects the voices of those most impacted by the health system. Research consistently shows that person-centered care leads to better chronic disease management, increased use of preventive services, higher satisfaction, and lower projected costs over time. That evidence reinforces what we’ve long known: engaging communities leads to better care.
We focus on addressing the root causes of chronic conditions, expanding access to essential health services, and promoting approaches that support whole-person care. By reducing avoidable and preventable poor health outcomes, we help shape a system that is more responsive, effective, and aligned with what people truly need.
Our value as a partner comes from our unique blend of community engagement expertise, practical policy insight, and experience developing strategies that drive change. Whether supporting public health initiatives, advising on health system transformation, or equipping organizations with tailored tools, we bring a deep commitment to improving health outcomes and strengthening community well-being.
We envision a future where every person can thrive—and we’re here to help make that vision a reality.
Community Catalyst partners with Trinity Health, a national health system, in a transformative initiative aimed at enhancing health outcomes for the communities that Trinity Health serves. The Trinity Health Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI) focuses on nine communities experiencing significant socioeconomic challenges and measurable gaps in health outcomes. Community Catalyst’s role is to assist three TCI communities (Maywood, IL, Hartford, CT, and Springfield, MA) in implementing health improvement solutions that utilize community input to inform policy, as well as systemic and environmental change strategies. We assess readiness for change (e.g., identifying their capacity to adopt health improvement solutions) and explore their existing resources, capabilities, and goals. We also provide technical assistance to strengthen community skills, knowledge, and infrastructure and advise on incorporating community perspectives into planning and decision-making processes. As a result of our efforts and support, these communities have produced tangible outcomes such as logic models, community action plans, and capacity-building training. These tools have been instrumental in helping them develop and implement evidence-based strategies to address the root causes of poor health identified in the most recent Community Health Needs Assessments in Springfield and Hartford. The work done with TCI demonstrates our commitment to improving the health of the communities we serve.
With generous support from the California Health Care Foundation and The SCAN Foundation, we successfully completed a pilot project aimed at improving the quality of Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) for dually eligible older adults. Our unique approach involved co-creating a set of survey questions with the individuals who utilize these services, ensuring their experiences and needs were central to our work. Our findings highlighted several key areas for enhancement in HCBS quality measures, including access to services, post-acute care experiences, and the empathy and compassion of care providers.
We also identified the need for stronger coordination among care providers, clearer guidance for consumers when challenges arise, and effective measures to document areas of concern during the caregiving process. This case study underscores Community Catalyst’s commitment to elevating the voices of those most directly affected by health policies and practices. Our collaborative approach, combined with our technical expertise, enables us to drive meaningful improvements in health care quality. We ensure that health system innovation is person-centered, addressing the complexities of health systems change, and ultimately enhancing the experiences of all individuals, particularly those who may face challenges in accessing care.
On the CMS-funded Resources in Integrated (RIC) Project, Community Catalyst has played a pivotal role in enhancing knowledge and practice within the health care system by annually designing and facilitating communities of practice, with dozens of health plans from around the nation, on critical topics such as behavioral health integration, establishing accountable care relationships with populations facing barriers to access, and care coordination.
In addition to fostering collaborative environments within these communities, we developed and delivered engaging webinars on key topic areas, and many valuable resources. Notable topics include “Promising Practices for Utilizing Motivational Interviewing (MI) to Improve Care Coordination,” “Improving Health for Dually Eligible Enrollees in Rural Areas,” and “Enrollee Advisory Councils.” These webinars, which often attract over 1,000 participants, feature our roles as subject matter experts, keynote speakers, and facilitators sharing valuable insights that drive innovation and best practices.
We regularly provided strategic updates to Lewin and CMS leadership on pivotal policy, research, and practice matters related to dually eligible beneficiaries. These strategic updates significantly influenced planning and priorities for both Lewin and CMS, ensuring that the technical assistance provided was not only relevant and timely but also cost-effective. Ultimately, this approach enhanced the overall quality of the project and contributed to improved health outcomes for dually eligible beneficiaries.
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