A Model for Policy Analysis and Science-Guided Advocacy for Community Health Improvement

Introduction: Despite advances in medical care, disparities in health persist for certain populations. Elimination of these disparities requires intensive and sustained community based approaches, including the formation of an infrastructure that focuses on affected communities in the promotion of education, development of culturally relevant research, and formulation of health policies. The Maryland Regional Community Network Program (MRCNP) has created a robust and sustainable infrastructure to develop community participatory programs, research and advocacy. Methods: With University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a historically black institution, and community partners, MRCNP has developed a model that serves the purposes of supporting policy analysis, policy research and science-guided advocacy for community health improvement. Examples that resulted from this model include 1) an analysis of state policies to establish state Offices of Minority Health and Health Disparities in the US; 2) an analysis of breast cancer rates in underserved women in Maryland; and 3) an evaluation of community knowledge of mandated cancer care health benefits in Maryland. Results: To date, through utilization of this multidirectional, research to policy model, the UMSOM has developed an approach to evaluate and monitor existing health policies and knowledge of these policies by medically underserved communities. Results have been utilized to foster community and academic involvement in additional health policy development and implementation. Conclusion: The development of this model fosters community and academic involvement in the analysis of health disparity related policies and utilization of research findings to foster community health improvement and advocacy.