Hearing the solos within the orchestra

Community engagement can assist in developing health policies and practices that better reflect community needs and values and enjoy greater support. In many cases it is sufficient to engage a cross-section of community members. Sometimes, however, hearing the orchestra of a community's voices and values means listening to the solos. Strong reasons exist to focus on specific populations for community engagement, particularly populations that suffer from health disparities and are otherwise marginalized or unheard in policy development. Identifying a specific population for engagement can make policy development more robust and representative by enhancing trust, encouraging better information, empowering communities and building relationships. This roundtable will explore the advantages and disadvantages of conducting engagements for special populations and identify useful strategies for planning and undertaking those engagements. It is based on experiences in a series of five engagement meetings for at-risk populations and American Indian tribes used to assist in development of a national guidance document: “At-Risk Populations and Pandemic Influenza: Planning Guidance for State, Territorial, Tribal and Local Health Departments.”