Community Voices Miami, part of a five-year W.K. Kellogg Foundation initiative, was funded in 1998 to improve access to health care for the underserved and uninsured. A collaborative model, the Community Voices Miami project works to develop consensus-driven proposals for Miami-Dade's nearly half a million uninsured, identifies implementation opportunities, and helps to build community advocacy for change in health care access. This presentation will discuss the context for the project, the process used to influence change in a culturally diverse community, the challenges faced, and the preliminary results achieved. The project has played an important role as a convener of different members of the community, including health care providers, community members, political leaders and others to advance common goals. We have found that in our role of convener we have been able to help establish trust and build solid relationships, in this way contributing to the foundations of social capital in our communities. We have also learned that neutral forums, which offer the opportunity for real public dialogue, may help to create social cohesion, affecting positive change in communities.
Miami is a dynamic and highly politicized multiethnic community. Some of the challenges stem from issues of mistrust and misunderstanding between different communities. The Community Voices process has focused on building bridges and alliances between health care providers, human and social service agencies, local politicians, community members, and business leaders. Improved access in some communities has already been achieved as a result of the communication among providers and consumers.
Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the participant will: 1) Recognize the process through which community-wide partnerships are built. 2) Articulate how different “layers” of a community can work together effectively toward common goals. 3) Evaluate the role of community forums in helping to build social cohesion.
Keywords: Access to Health Care, Advocacy
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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.