 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Connie J. Evashwick, ScD, Center for Health Care Innovation, California State University Long Beach, 6300 State University Dr., Suite 270, Long Beach, CA 90815, (562) 985-5881, cevashwk@csulb.edu and Marcia Ory, PhD, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A & M University, 1103 University Dr., Suite 100, College Station, TX 77840.
What sustains a community-based program over time? This study sought to identify the characteristics of organizations that implemented innovative health programs for seniors and sustained these programs over time. This information is useful to guide organizations that are striving to implement new programs, as well as grantors seeking projects that would make a permanent difference. The Gerontological Health Section of the American Public Health Association created an award in 1998, endowed by the Archstone Foundation, to recognize innovative programs providing health and related social support services to seniors. The 20 award winners from 1998-2001 were interviewed in Fall 2002 using a structured questionnaire. A conceptual model for Sustainability articulated by Shediac-Rizkallah and Bone was used to guide the research. Questions asked about organizational structure, governance, Innovative projects were most often started as small projects of well-established community organizations. Factors essential to success were deemed to be visionary, committed leaders and community and stakeholder involvement. The type of organizational structure and form of governance varied widely, and neither seemed to have a direct affect on service longevity. Funding was the greatest challenge in sustaining the project over time. All projects had attained financial self-sufficiency, although in different ways. Evaluation or outcomes data were gathered by most of the organizations and used for marketing, securing financing, and, for those with university affiliations, for research. The model of Sustainability proved relatively simple to operationalize, but the findings suggested several ways to enhance the model for subsequent application.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Community-Based Health Care, Research
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Archstone Foundation Award winners will be discussed. I have a grant from the Archstone Foundation.