The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #39783

Susan S. Gerberich, Project Consultant, Healthy Connections Network, P.O. Box 2734, Akron, OH 44309, Donna R. Skoda, Director of Community Health Programs, Summit County Health Department, 1100 Graham Road Circle, Stow, OH 44224, 330-926-5654, ssg@uakron.edu, and Thomas C. Quade, Epidemiologist, Akron Health Department, 177 S. Broadway, Akron, OH 4444308.

Summit County, Ohio, is currently engaged in collaborative efforts to increase access to primary health care and decrease disparities in health status for residents of the county. These efforts require a basis in credible data and a mechanism to enlist community stakeholders and decision-makers in the planning process. This has been accomplished through the work of two groups. Healthy Summit 2010 is a collaborative community process, led by Akron Health Department, Summit County Health Department and Barberton Health Department. Healthy Summit 2010 reviews the health status of Summit County residents, inventories current resources, and provides, via Internet web site, guiding health resource documents for data use by local organizations in the community. Data collection is objective and independent, which facilitates participation by private competitive health care providers, as well as public/non-profit providers. Healthy Connections Network (HCN) is a 501 (c ) (3) community collaborative organization participating in the BPHC 100% Access, 0 Disparities Campaign. This group includes a broad spectrum of community leadership (health, social service, political, neighborhood, business and media) involved in planning and implementing health policy. Both groups work in tandem to develop responsive, credible, long-term community health assessment data. Data support from Healthy Summit 2010 is used across public and private domains to plan and implement programs and monitor community health. Continuous collaboration enhances better use of community resources, based on targeted programming aimed at increasing access to health care and decreasing disparities in health status.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) will be able to

• Describe how public and private organizations can organize to plan collaboratively for improved community health.
• Identify how public health, profit and non-profit health and social service organizations can combine and use data to conduct holistic community health planning and health policy development.
• Discuss an interactive, longitudinal, continuous process for health system monitoring and responsive health policy planning adjustment.

Keywords: Access, Community Health Assessment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.