265895 Moving from community health assessment and planning to action: Targeting disparities through comprehensive, community-based strategies

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 5:30 PM - 5:50 PM

Shannon Laing, MSW , Center for Healthy Communities, Michigan Public Health Institute, Okemos, MI
Despite the tremendous amount of money spent on health care in the US, alarming health disparities persist for many minority groups. These trends suggest a need for comprehensive, community-based approaches to address the conditions in which we live, work, and play, which influence individual health behavior and contribute to chronic disease. Public health agencies vary in the degree to which they actively engage and support community members (particularly those experiencing disparities) to drive the community health needs assessment and community health improvement planning processes. This presentation will describe Healthy Native Communities, Healthy Native Babies, a CDC-funded REACH CORE grant initiative working toward reducing infant mortality among American Indians in Michigan. Building upon the successes of the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan's Healthy Start program, six federally-recognized tribes and one Urban Indian health center were engaged in the Mobilizing Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) process in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the social determinants that perpetuate disparities in their communities, and develop strategic plans for implementing coordinated community action. Presenters will explain in detail: 1) how the project was structured to increase capacity and foster local control; 2) adaptations made to MAPP phases and tools to fit each unique context; 3) the process of identifying root causes of health disparities from assessment data and selecting priorities; and 4) how strategic priorities were linked to realistic policy, systems, and environmental change strategies in each community's action plan. Many specific successes, challenges, and lessons learned through this experience will be shared.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Identify strategies to engage and empower community members in planning comprehensive public health policy, systems, and environmental change.

Keywords: Community Health Planning, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Ms. Laing manages several grant projects focused on facilitating community health improvement through community health assessment, coalition building, community engagement, strategic planning, and evaluation. Ms. Laing has been with the Michigan Public Health Institute for over 8 years. During that time, she has managed more than 15 projects in partnership with American Indian tribes and community organizations. In addition, she has over 5 years of experience in applying several different models of community assessment.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.