Making Community Partnerships Work: Using Community-based Participatory Approaches to Develop Effective Public Health Partnerships

Partnerships can strengthen the impact of any community-based education, outreach or advocacy program. March of Dimes outlines a three-stage process of partnership development using a community-based, participatory approach in "Making Community Partnerships Work: A Toolkit." The toolkit provides principles, strategies and tools, such as checklists, sample forms and case stories, needed to engage diverse communities in a community-based participatory partnership (CBPP). Creating and sustaining effective CBPPs involves organizational self-assessment and reflection, commitment of time and resources to building community capacity, cultural sensitivity in approaching and involving key stakeholders and diverse community groups, and mutually agreed upon structures and guidelines that support and sustain the collaborative.

The toolkit builds on lessons learned from the national and community partners involved in the Genetics Education Needs Evaluation (GENE) Project, a cooperative agreement between the March of Dimes and the Health Resources and Services Administration. A critical component of the GENE Project was the development of coalitions/consortiums which allowed national partners and key stakeholders in the African American and Latino communities to work together to implement community-driven genetics education needs assessments. These needs assessments resulted in action plans that address the genetic literacy and access needs of these underserved populations.

This session outlines the three major stages of developing an effective CBPP, including community-based participatory action strategies, principles and tools. Participants will learn how to apply this information to strengthen their own community-based activities regardless of topic area or funding source. The session concludes with recommendations for replication and evaluating partnership effectiveness.