The Mission Projects Initiative was launched in 2008 to address pressing health care issues at the institutional, organizational, and community levels, applying the complex systems analysis methods and approaches for which Altarum is known. The goals of the Mission Projects Initiative were to strengthen systems at the community, organizational, and institutional levels and to further develop Altarum’s capabilities in solving systems problems in an applied fashion.

Three Mission Projects were undertaken that addressed unique systems challenges whose improvements affected the health, quality of life, and economic security of millions of Americans:

• The Childhood Obesity Prevention Mission Project developed and piloted effective systems change models to confront the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States;
• The Community Health Center Innovation Project worked to improve the health of vulnerable individuals and communities by applying our systems research expertise and innovative approaches to challenges and opportunities in the federally qualified health center service delivery system; and
• Veterans Community Action Teams developed and tested a sustainable, collaborative community strategy and model(s) that enhances the delivery of services from public, private, nonprofit, and voluntary organizations to veterans and their families.