Building effective public health-CBO/FBO partnerships for disaster readiness

Background/Purpose: This study seeks to better understand the level of connectivity and integration between local health departments and community- or faith-based organizations with respect to disasters and public health emergencies. Community organizations can be an asset to public health departments during emergencies.

Methods: The study consists of over 30 key informant interviews and an environmental scan. The interviews were with representatives from state health departments, local health departments, community-based, and faith-based organizations from over 15 geographically and demographically diverse counties across the nation. The interviews represent a wide range of organizational types in urban, suburban, and rural areas. The environmental scan assesses the scope and range of research on this field.

Results/Outcomes: The degree of interaction between local health departments and community- or faith-based organizations is uneven and generally underdeveloped. Even in areas where there is more communication between local health departments and community- and faith-based organizations, the flow of information is usually unidirectional, with community- and faith-based organizations being used to merely disseminate information.

Conclusions: In a time of diminishing resources and increasing complexity, community- and faith-based groups can better enable local health departments to serve their populations before, during, and after disasters and public health emergencies. Local health departments can do more to incorporate community- and faith-based organizations into their disaster and emergency public health plans and operations. Community- and faith-based organizations have much more to offer than is currently used. The Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) model can greatly enhance these relationships.