Multi-Sector Community Health Planning in Boston: Utilizing the MAPP Framework to Promote Health Across the Lifespan

The Boston Alliance for Community Health (BACH) is a coalition of ten neighborhood-based coalitions that unites public, private, and non-profit partners in neighborhood-based, data-driven health planning and improvement to influence policy-making, program development, service delivery and resource allocation, in order to protect, promote and improve the health and well-being of all Boston residents. BACH chose Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership (MAPP) for its community health planning process. Partners were engaged from state and city public health agencies, hospitals, community health centers, health insurers, housing, public safety, schools, foundations and community-based organizations. BACH adopted an asset-based assessment framework incorporating a continuum of health determinants from societal aspects, such as race and class, to individual aspects, such as behavior and quality of life. Twelve health behavior categories were selected and aligned with the National Prevention Strategy and local partners' priorities. Using the framework, data is being collected consistently across local neighborhoods and city-wide in order to measure and compare Boston to the National Prevention Strategy indicators. The breadth of this assessment highlights opportunities for action on multiple levels to improve the health and quality of life for all Boston residents. BACH is currently in the assessment phase and is working to mobilize its multi-sector partners and the neighborhood coalitions towards unified health improvement across the city.