Background: The mission of Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH) is to measurably improve the health of its community of 550,000 in a 2-county area of Pennsylvania. The Department of Community Health and Health Studies coordinates LVH’s community activities. We evaluated 10 years of community activities that varied in length of service (2 to 14 years), target populations (e.g., school children, general community), specificity of mission (e.g., tobacco control, child and family health,), and strategy (e.g., health services delivery, community organizing). Methods: In a retrospective study, we used the University of Kansas evaluation system for community health initiatives to identify level of intervention and to measure impact in the community. The system’s validated methods included document review and semi-structured key informant interviews. Results: The "dose" of community activity varied from initiative to initiative, as did the degree of collaboration with external community agencies, which was high overall. There was no systematic relationship between dose, specific strategy, or the nature of external relationships and outcomes. The impact of the initiatives increased with: effective leadership, coherent organizational structure, experience, and clarity of strategic focus. The Department of Community Health did measurably improve the community’s health. Conclusion: This study suggests that one hospital’s efforts in the community can improve community health. For potentially effective programs, committed leadership, focused structure, and strategic alignment are more important in determining effectiveness than are the specifics of the program. Community collaboration and institutional leadership appear to be synergistic when implementing effective community health efforts.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to: 1. Understand how a community hospital can develop and implement a durable community health improvement effort. 2. Describe how leadership and collaboration influence community health outcomes. 3. Describe how evaluation of community and systems change can inform program planning and implementation
Keywords: Community Health, Community Collaboration
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.