229065 New Tools, New Visions 2: Lessons learned as a CBPR technical assistance coordinator partnered with four rural, African-American communities

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 9:24 AM - 9:42 AM

Kimberly M. Coleman, PhD, MPH, CHES , Department of Public Health Education, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC
Danielle Blackwell , New Tools, New Visions 2, Albany, GA Tools for Change, Inc., Albany, GA
Adeleri Onisegun, MA, PhD , Department of Psychology, Paine College, Augusta, GA
Zenobia Hodges, BSW , New Tools, New Visions 2, Visions for the Valley: Environmental Health Disparities/Awareness Center, Fort Valley, GA
Johnnie Zanders, BSW , New Tools, New Visions 2, Visions for the Valley: Environmental Health Disparities/Awareness Center, Fort Valley, GA
Mildred McClain, PhD , Tools for Change - Savannah, Harambee House, Inc./Citizens for Environmental Justice, Savannah, GA
In 2008, four rural, Southern Georgia community organizations were awarded grants as part of the New Tools, New Visions 2 project (NTNV2) established by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. This 3-year, grant-funded project has brought together the predominantly African-American residents of Albany, Augusta, Fort Valley, and Savannah communities and faculty from their surrounding Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to develop community-campus partnerships. The health foci are environmental justice and/or violence prevention issues as identified by the residents. NTNV2 has two primary goals: (1) to develop the capacity of community residents to resolve these identified problems and create change in public policy and quality of life using several public health-based strategies, and (2) to engage community residents and partners with researchers and/or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to develop solutions for each targeted community's health issue among local residents. To assist the communities in achieving the project's and individual communities' goals, a technical assistance coordinator (TAC) was contracted by the WKKF to work with all grantees. Regarding NTNV2, the primary roles and responsibilities have been of this position are: (1) to provide the grantee organizations and HBCUs with targeted trainings related to the philosophy and strategies of CPBR; (2) to support and aid in linking the grantee organizations in the development of partnerships; (3) to serve as a stable point of contact between the grantees' project coordinators and the WKKF; (4) to assist with steering committee meeting facilitation; and (5) to assess (and possibly develop additional) evaluation questions related to the application of CBPR principles and community capacity building among the grantees and to support cross-site learning. Now entering its third year, these developing partnerships have challenged the TAC's skills and reignited the passion of working with African-American communities. The experience has and continues to result in critical lessons for public health professionals engaged in CBPR that may be distinct to rural African-American communities. These lessons are related to the history of HBCUs in the African-American community and the residents' perceptions, the challenges establishing CBPR partnerships with HBCUs and other community organizations, and effective strategies to engage residents.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Administration, management, leadership
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the primary goals of New Tools, New Visions 2. Explain the need for a technical assistance coordinator. List the purpose and suggested qualifications of a technical assistance coordinator with CBPR projects serving African-American communities. Describe the unique challenges supporting the NTNV2 grantees. Discuss the lessons learned from the TAC's perspective.

Keywords: Community Collaboration, Participatory Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the technical assistance coordinator for the New Tools, New Visions 2 project and have been a practicing public health educator for approximately 10 years.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Name of Organization Clinical/Research Area Type of relationship
W. K. Kellogg Foundation CBPR Research and Technical Assistance Consultant and Paid Contractor

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.