Public health departments have traditionally conducted community health assessments based largely on secondary data focused on traditional health indicators such as births, mortality, and morbidity. Some assessments have included the participation of community members but rarely have the assessments been community-driven. The outcomes of assessments conducted in this manner help guide the work of health departments, but do no necessarily lead towards shared priorities between the health department and communities or shared accountability in the implementation of assessment results. The Alameda County Public Health Department has made a commitment "to work in partnership with the community to ensure optimal health and well-being of all people through a dynamic and responsive process." To accomplish this, the Public Health Department has implemented the community health assessment framework provided by APEXPH and developed a participatory community health assessment and planning process which emphasizes community priorities and community capacity building. The outcomes of this assessment process are community health action plans that share resources and hold all partners accountable for implementation and results.
This presentation describes the process and the evaluation design of two assessments conducted in two communities in Alameda County. Intermediate indicators of capacity-building and relationship building, including skills transfer, leadership, strength of partnership and the development of sustainable community health action plans are addressed. Lessons learned from this process are highlighted and the challenges of this approach for local public health departments are discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Community Health Assessment, Community Building
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Alameda County Public Health Department, Oakland California
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.