Critical Success Factors of Community-Based Action, Planning, and Process: The Tale of the East Harlem Community Health Committee

In existence for over thirty years, the East Harlem Community Health Committee (EHCHC), a nonprofit grassroots community health coalition, has depended on “critical success factors” for longevity, community action planning, and positive tangible outcomes for improving health in East Harlem. Its sociopolitical roots promoted development of membership that supports a deep structure of subcommittees and workgroups grounded the capability to provide a forum for members to cooperate, exchange ideas, build networks, and work together to strengthen health care in East Harlem by improving access, quality, coordination and accountability emphasizing education and training of our community partners. Significant accomplishments include: piloting New York City's first immunization registry; developing a primary care and health needs assessment that was used as a planning guide for health providers and consumers; developing and implementing a community-based process for monitoring ambulatory care referrals. “Critical success factors” include maintaining real time knowledge of the leadership and organizational structure of a dynamic community, documenting the diffusion and adoption of community health innovations and practices, promoting community networks, supporting diverse mechanisms for community centered health education and policy change; freely sharing lessons learned with other groups in and outside of East Harlem. We will discuss the EHCHC experience, including its “critical success factors”, planning processes and lessons learned.