Prologue: What It Means to Be Well

Early in my public health career, I was encountered the CDC’s BRFSS survey, and as I learned to analyze and visualize the data, I began to understand what a fascinating instrument it is for capturing the wellness of a community from multiple angles and how complex the idea of wellness truly is. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic and a co-occurring mental health crisis, many in industrialized nations have come to better understand the health and economic benefits of a socially supportive environment, and even how our communities work to naturally insulate us from outside harms which may show up in the form of disease, policies or attitudes. However, when a pattern of migration begins to emerge, it is usually indicative of a harm that seems both impactful and irreversible. Human movement happens between cities, from state-to-state and even across oceans to re-discover experiences of good health, safety, wellness and peace of mind. But is it possible to prevent this? When local policies and even attitudes that are formed with community wellness in mind become harmful for one group, then it stands to reason that there are one or more perspectives either missing from the table or being disregarded. In this research series, we focus on uncovering those less visible perspectives and doing our part to help present a complete human picture of what it means to be well.