Utilizing mapp in shelby county, TN: Process evaluation and preliminary results

Mobilizing Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) is a strategic planning process whose success relies heavily on broad community participation and ownership. This community participation transcends the typical actors (e.g., health departments, hospitals) involved in community health assessment and planning to include neighborhood residents and leaders, faith-based groups, housing advocacy groups, business groups, and community-based organizations to name a few. Through this inclusive partnership, community health planning becomes imbued with a diversity of voices and perspectives ultimately leading to novel strategic thinking, broad community ownership of health initiatives, and, ideally, tangible improvements of health outcomes. Shelby County, Tennessee, under the facilitation of the local health department, embarked on the MAPP process in late 2012 and is presently working towards the completion of this current MAPP iteration. Data and information covered in this presentation will examine Shelby County's implementation of MAPP via a process evaluation framework. Additionally, this presentation will provide preliminary data resulting from the MAPP process. Information provided will discuss 1) process evaluation data examining the satisfaction of the MAPP process from the perspective of partners, 2) community health assessment approaches resulting from the MAPP process, and 3) how the MAPP framework enhances the community health assessment and planning process. This presentation will be helpful to public health practitioners who are involved in community health assessment and/or planning work, those interested in learning how the MAPP process is employed “in the field”, as well as individuals interested in utilizing a community-based participatory research framework to health planning.