The Neighborhood Congress is an alliance of neighborhoods and neighbors in Baltimore City engaged in building a healthy city. By developing partnerships with leaders in the public and private sectors, committing to action plans, and holding partners accountable, the Neighborhood Congress is working to improve community health through systemic change. Neighborhood Congress efforts extend beyond the disease or injury specific focus of traditional public health interventions to address fundamental community health issues such as housing, crime, drugs, education, and sanitation.
This approach represents an important advance in the way communities conceptualize and approach health. To document the story of the Neighborhood Congress and maximize the lessons learned, the author conducted a case study of the Neighborhood Congress during its first year. Using qualitative data collected from participant observations, key informant interviews, organizational documents, and media coverage, the development, evolution, and influence of the Neighborhood Congress was documented. The case study findings also include insight into the barriers and facilitators that contributed to the successes and failures of the Neighborhood Congress.
The Neighborhood Congress is an ambitious and promising model for community participation in the processes that affect community health. The findings from the case study offer many lessons for researchers and practitioners with an interest in the relationship between communities and the systems that impact community health.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the Neighborhood Congress, a community-based initiative for improving community health in Baltimore City. 2. Understand the factors that contributed to the successes and failures of the Neighborhood Congress initiative
Keywords: Community Participation, Advocacy
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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.