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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Dana D. Cheatem, RN, BSN¹, Kathleen M. Russell, DNS, RN¹, and Calvin Roberson, MHA, MPH². (1) School of Nursing, Indiana University, 1111 Middle Drive, NU 471, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5107, 317-355-5882, dcheatem@iupui.edu, (2) Research & Training Department, Indiana Minority Health Coalition, 3737 North Meridian Street, 3rd Floor, Indianapolis, IN 46208

PROBLEM: Community organizations encounter many challenges in measuring their capacity to manage the programs and services that they provide to their local communities. To enable organizations to rate, monitor and track capacity level and seek appropriate types of technical assistance necessary to achieve their mission and goals, organizational capacity must be quantified. PURPOSE: The aim of this project was to develop and test a tool that would quantify and measure capacity of non-profit organizations in managing their programs. The Local Coalition Capacity Assessment Tool (LCCAT) was developed using the Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT). The LCCAT consisted of a four-level rating scale: 1= clear need for increased capacity, 2= basic level of capacity, 3= moderate level of capacity, 4=high level of capacity; and preset questions that were used to assess capacity in the eight core areas: governance and advisory board development, asset mapping, cultural competency, strategic planning, financial management and program implementation and evaluation. SAMPLE: The sample consisted of four, community-based organizations that served minority populations in Indiana. DATA COLLECTION: Checklists, observation, interviews, and surveys were used to collect data from multiple sources during site visits. FINDINGS: Results from the LCCAT will be used to examine gaps in the coalition's capacity to manage its programs, identify assets within the coalition and the community it serves, restructure ineffective program services, and determine further educational needs for program staff and level of technical assistance for improving organizational capacity.

Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session the participant will be able to

• Define organizational capacity.
• List and define the eight core components of organizational capacity.
• Identify and describe the relationship between the eight core components and organizational capacity.
• Describe how findings from a capacity assessment could be used to improve organizational capacity.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered