While the public health sector is often suspicious of market-oriented approaches to health care, large vertically integrated health care systems can provide opportunities to improve community health. A large medical care system offers significant financial, technical and information resources for community health initiatives.
In 1998, a non-profit, vertically-integrated, regional health care system established Carolinas Community Health Institute (CCHI) as part of its efforts to identify, understand and respond to health needs from a community perspective. CCHI has focused on three underserved communities: two rural counties and a geographically defined urban community. Each of the three projects involves forming a community coalition, hiring a community coordinator, defining the planning process, implementing a formal community assessment, prioritizing goals, and funding selected interventions.
In three case studies we discuss the steps, challenges and common principles of implementing this initiative. For each project we describe the point of entry to the community, coalition building strategy, role of the community coordinator, identification of common goals, and oversight of the process. Challenges for each site included developing trust between the community group and the regional health care organization, setting realistic expectations about the availability of resources, recognizing existing efforts, defining the institute’s role in community assessment, and insuring cultural diversity in coalition membership. Several factors have made this initiative successful: hiring local community coordinators, supporting existing health promotion efforts, communicating clear goals, identifying opportunities for collaboration, and maintaining patience in progressing on each community's time-table.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe a process of community health assessment and planning undertaken by a regional health care system. 2. Identify challenges associated with developing partnerships among regional health care systems and community organizations. 3. Describe the dynamics associated with community health planning efforts in rural and urban settings. 4. Identify barriers and solutions to community health partnerships
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.