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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Dhaval S. Patel, MPH, Department of Speech Communication, Texas A&M University, TAMU 4234, College Station, TX 77843, 979-845-5563, dpatel@tamu.edu and James Dearing, PhD, Department of Communication, Michigan State University, 473 Communication Arts and Sciences, E. Lansing, MI 48823.
Unlike many community health campaigns whose traditional purposes have been changing individual effects (i.e., knowledge gain, attitude change, health behaviors), a comprehensive community health initiative attempts to shift public policies, organizational procedures, community social norms, and social networks that operate to change a local system. These improvements should affect individuals. One way to influence health in a comprehensive initiative is to create partnerships that implement community health projects, or problem-solving interventions put into practice by the partnerships for the purpose of improving individual health or reshaping the local healthcare system. In 1993, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation introduced this type of collective effort to Michigan, entitling the intervention, “The Comprehensive Community Health Models (CCHMs) Initiative.” A number of health projects were implemented into the local community. The goal of this study is to describe the characteristics of these health projects. Over the course of a three-year cluster evaluation investigation of the CCHMs effort, 57 interviews were conducted with staff, leaders, and key partners of the projects. Through analysis of the interview data, information about the (a) type of health project (b) nature of the interaction with public, organizational, and health policies, (c) degree of sustainability, (e) development of relationships, (f) extent of decision-making and collaboration, and (g) impact on community health was uncovered. Future programming directions for the development, implementation, and evaluation of health projects are offered.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to
Keywords: Partnerships, Community Health
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.