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Interact for Health—often in coordination with other organizations—shares stories, research and publications from our work. Browse some of our selected publications below.


Building a Robust, Inclusive and Effective Health Advocacy Ecosystem

In Spring 2023, Interact for Health commissioned a study to better understand the current landscape of health policy and advocacy at the local-level in Greater Cincinnati as well as at the state-level in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Almost 100 organizations responded to a survey conducted by Innovation Network.


Evaluation of the Impact of School-Based Health Centers

In 2023, Interact for Health engaged ORS Impact to conduct an external strategy-level evaluation of the impact of SBHCs in addressing the health needs and closing health equity gaps among school-age children. 


Tobacco 21 Policy Evaluation: Reducing Youth Tobacco Use Through Policy Change in Greater Cincinnati

From 2019-2022, Interact for Health partnered with the Center for Public Health Systems Science at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis to conduct an evaluation of policy efforts in southwest Ohio to increase the minimum legal sales age of tobacco products from 18 to 21 (known as Tobacco 21) and related enforcement strategies. Findings and lessons learned illuminate the role local laws play in protecting youth in our communities, what it takes to move through the policymaking lifecycle, and the policy’s impact - including a decrease of 27% in ease-of-access to tobacco products among Cincinnati youth from 2018 to 2022.


Mental Health and Well-Being in Greater Cincinnati: Everyday Expert Perspectives

Interact for Health partnered with Cohear to gather insights on the mental health and well-being of  community members across the region.


2022 Strategic Planning Insights and Learning

In 2022, Interact for Health embarked on a strategic planning process that transformed our organization and our work. We listened to data and to people – from all staff within our organization and key stakeholders to the voices of people with lived experience in the community. We redefined our mission, vision, values, and strategy – and publicly shared the process, key insights, and next steps along the way.


Recovery Housing in Greater Cincinnati

Interact for Health and partners at Miami University conducted research in 2020 to identify current recovery housing in our 20-county service area and any needs that exist. Recovery housing is an intervention for the newly sober that brings together housing with other supports—including peer-to-peer support—to facilitate long-term recovery.  The study found the demand for recovery housing far exceeds the number of beds available and that more financial support was needed to assist recovery houses with the certification process. 


Philanthropic Strategy in the Face of An Opioid Epidemic

Interact for Health shared the evolution of our work to address the opioid epidemic in Greater Cincinnati. Published in Health Affairs, the article covers our funding strategy, outcomes and lessons learned from 2008-2018.


Challenges and Opportunities in Philanthropic Organizational Learning: Reflections from Fellow Grantmakers

Interact for Health turned to the field of philanthropy to learn from challenges and opportunities of evaluation and learning strategies at foundations across the U.S. We shared what we learned from these conversation in an article in Foundation Review.


School-Based Health Centers: A Funder’s View of Effective Grant Making

Interact for Health shared about our experience providing funding to open and sustain school-based health centers across Greater Cincinnati over two decades. Published in Health Affairs, the article outlines our grant-making strategies and best practices for implementation and sustainability.


Years in Review 2018-2022

Between 2018 and 2022, Interact for Health focused on three strategic priorities: reducing tobacco use, addressing the opioid epidemic and ensuring that children have access to health care through school-based health centers.