291854
Using appreciative inquiry to engage community members in a health needs assessment
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Chatrian Kanger, MPH,
Division of Evaluation, Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI), New Orleans, LA
Kevin Duff, MPH,
Division of Evaluation, Louisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, LA
This presentation will inform participants about the basic principles of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and examine how AI was applied throughout the design and implementation of a community health needs assessment (CHNA) in New Orleans. In 2011, NO/AIDS Task Force partnered with the Louisiana Public Health Institute to assist in conducting the needs assessment portion of their Community Health Center Planning Grant. From the outset, the partners knew that they wanted to utilize an innovative and unique approach to the needs assessment that would take into account the unique characteristics of New Orleans neighborhoods and their residents that are not otherwise identified by traditional boundaries. In addition, the entire needs assessment from conceptualization to completion had to be completed within about a 6-month timeframe with limited resources in order to inform the NO/AIDS Community Health Center Planning Work Group (CHCPWP) with timely information for their corresponding Health Center application. This presentation will describe the methods utilized for the CHNA, rationales for each approach, and key findings - including how key findings were communicated to CHCPWP participants and community members. It will also discuss the experiences of team members in executing the assessment activities, challenges, and lessons learned for other communities attempting to do similar types of work. Our experience is relevant and applicable to a broad audience given that government regulations, such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), are increasingly requiring health centers and hospitals to conduct patient and community member health needs assessments.
Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Provision of health care to the public
Learning Objectives:
Describe how an “Appreciative Inquiry” approach was used to uncover and prioritize community health needs
Examine how the NO/AIDS evaluation team engaged collaborative partners, competing agencies and key stakeholders
Discuss lessons learned from an evaluation perspective in conducting a community health needs assessment
Keyword(s): Community Health Assessment, Evaluation
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Eleanor Tinto-Poitier, MHA, Community Health Center Project Manager for NO/AIDS Task Force, uses her experience with FQHCs, government agencies and operations management to shepherd the Agency to an expanded future. Her career focused on public health administration: in government entities, Community Health Centers and other Section 330 grantees, and in ambulatory settings within public hospitals. Ellie shares her experience through consulting and presentation work, primarily around quality initiatives and health center operations and expansion efforts.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
