 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Jacalyn Ryberg, RN, PhD, CPNP, Department of Nursing, MSC 3185, New Mexico State University, P O Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001, (505) 646-1503, jryberg@nmsu.edu
Allowing for more community participation in the planning process can result in public health plans that meet both professional and community requirements for utility and efficient use of resources. In 1994, the state of Illinois mandated that health departments incorporate community participation into their Health Plans yet there was little state guidance regarding how this directive should be implemented. PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to explore and describe the implementation of a mandate for community participation into public health planning process of seventeen public health agencies in Southern Illinois. Scheirer's Organizational Implementation Framework was adapted for use in this implementation study. This framework describes as set of basic elements that are required for effective and meaningful community participation and should therefore provide a theoretical background upon which to base an implementation analysis. METHODS: The framework was used to operationalize variables for data collection. Qualitative research methods were then selected that might best capture and describe the elements of the framework as they were surfaced and identified. The methods included semi-structured interviews and unobtrusive measures such as nonparticipant observation. In addition, this research also includes analysis of archival records, ie, health plans, annual reports, and mission statements. RESULTS: This research identifies ten critical elements related to community orientation and communications that describe an organization's participatory ethos. CONCLUSIONS: The successful incorporation of community participation into public health planning relies upon participatory ethos comprised of ten critical elements.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.