title: Healthy Communities and civil discourse: a leadership opportunity for public health professionals.
abstract: The author argues that the Healthy Communities movement provides public health professionals with an opportunity to become not just community leaders but also agents of change in a broad political sense. Extending the work of Kohlberg and other developmental psychologists, the author describes five levels of civil discourse. Professionals who practice the inclusive, consensus-oriented level of discourse, which is consistent with the philosophy of Healthy Communities, can help reinvigorate civil society and democracy as a part of making their communities healthier.
authors.affiliation: Coalition for Healthier Cities and Communities, Salt Lake City, UT 84109, USA. j_kesler@woodburycorp.com
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Kesler
mesh_terms: D018672:Community Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003256:Community Participation; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012922:Social Change; D014481:United States