In July 1997, the Hawai'i District Health Office sponsored a workshop "Action Planning for Community-Based Initiatives." A basic concept emerging from the meeting was the belief that it is important to change the environment in which individuals engage in "unhealthy" behaviors in order to maximize efforts to reduce the prevalence of those behaviors within the population. It encourages citizen participation and the development of a community's capacity to address local health problems. In the workshop, participants identified barriers to creating and maintaining community partnerships/coalitions. Existing concerns of child abuse and neglect, promoting health for older adults, adolescent pregnancy, substance abuse, risk for chronic disease, and youth violence were discussed. A community initiative focusing on building the capacity of community members on the Big Island of Hawai'i was created following the workshop. Four principal program objectives were identified in this project. They include: Community partnership development in each of the 6 districts on the Big Island; Providing initial staffing to coordinate and facilitate coalition development; Providing training for the initial staff and for key community leaders in core competencies for doing the work (e.g., planning, facilitation, grant writing); And documenting community change and the successes of the local community partnerships. This paper will discuss the development of a grassroots movement to address the above issues, the capacity built as part of the initiative, findings from a participatory evaluation, and future directions.
Learning Objectives: The audience will learn about significant advancements in the involvement of community members to reduce health disparities and access to health care, as well as about the evaluation of such initiatives
Keywords: Community Involvement, Asian and Pacific Islander
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Hawaii Department of Health, Hilo District Office
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employee of the Hawaii Department of Health, Hilo District Office