VILLANOVA PROFESSOR TRACES THE JOURNEY OF THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER IN NEW BOOK

At the height of the Vietnam War, President Lyndon Johnson enlisted the country in a second battle. Declaring war on poverty in the United States, his administration sought to transform America’s poorest communities through a massive federal investment in local resources—starting with a revolutionary experiment in healthcare. 

In Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back: Social Image and the Dance for Community Health Center Survival, Associate Professor of Public Administration Danielle Gadson, PhD, ’07 MPA traces the rise of community health centers and the supporters who have kept them alive.

At its outset, the creation of the federal community health center focused on strengthening medically-vulnerable communities—providing crucial day-to-day care for Americans facing systemic, environmental or economic challenges. “Today, the model is an extension of the broader healthcare landscape focused on reducing costs for the nation,” Dr. Gadson said. In many instances, the program serves as an entry point and safety-net solution, shoring up gaps in the broader healthcare system. “Both of these are important goals, but the community aspect can easily get lost when it comes out of focus.”

The book traces how administrators and advocates employed and adapted social narratives over several decades and presidential administrations to secure legislative support—and the transformation of their approaches over time. “My book is unique in that it brings together the disciplines of public administration and medical sociology to tackle the problem of persistent health inequities in the United States,” she added. “It explores the tension that public administrators experience between keeping public programs attractive to policymakers, funders and the public while meeting their professional responsibility to social equity, even when it is not the popular choice.” 

Building on Dr. Gadson's previous work, the book also explores how policymakers can create that equity by addressing the individual healthcare needs of communities.

“The current federal environment has de-emphasized the importance of social equity and resolving the systemic inequalities that many vulnerable communities endure,” she said. “This book's message is an important message of not losing focus on the people represented by the numbers and data when making public health policy decisions.”

Dr. Gadson earned her PhD and MA from Temple University. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Villanova University and a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been the heart of the Villanova learning experience, offering foundational courses for undergraduate students in every college of the University. Serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students, the College is committed to fortifying them with intellectual rigor, multidisciplinary knowledge, moral courage and a global perspective. The College has more than 40 academic departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.