Lessons learned: Balancing competing priorities & facilitating a health collaborative with diverse health partners

The US-Mexico border communities experience multiple heath disparities ranging from diabetes and obesity to access to clinical health services. Building regional partnerships between health-services organizations is a promising approach to address these disparities. This presentation will analyze the lessons learned in issue selection while facilitating inter-agency collaboration. A core team, made up of Faculty from the University of Texas Health Science Center at the Laredo campus and two fellows funded by the Hispanic Serving Health Professionals School (HSHPS) Program were interested in engaging local health agencies in promoting healthful eating and physical activity environments. The core team conducted eighteen interviews with the directors of local health service and wellness agencies to identify pressing health concerns. Emerging themes included interest in building a community initiative, concern about affordable access to health care, childhood obesity, and inadequate infrastructure to promote a healthier living. Some of the themes were not perceived within the scope of work by the core team. Yet, during a community meeting the competing priorities were resolved by identifying common strategies that address the key concern of participating stakeholders. These strategies revolved around environmental and policy changes such as amending the city's green space ordinances and engaging in efforts to establish a farmers market. The process utilized can be used as a model for future community health facilitators interested in strengthening interagency collaboration to address local health priorities, including diabetes and obesity.