How can academic institutions adapt to improve public health partnerships with small organizations? Lessons learned from working with rural churches

Academic-community partnerships are essential to advancing public health research and reducing health disparities faced by rural communities in the US. Our research has illuminated challenges that may arise when small organizations partner with universities. We propose improved operations within universities to facilitate better working relationships with small organizations. The Southern Seven Coalition for Women’s Health, comprised of an academic partner, a local health department, and several community partners, conducted a community health assessment in rural, “southernmost Illinois” in which stakeholders identified churches as critical resources for supporting spiritual health as well as physical health and social relationships. Subsequently, the coalition expanded its collaborations with area churches, and in 2011, received federal funding for the Faith-Based Collaborative (FBC) to reduce cardiovascular disease risk among women. The grant was awarded to the academic partner, which facilitates the research, and funds were disseminated to churches through subcontracts for implementation of church-based programming. Over three years, we identified several challenges to implementing collaborative research with small churches. These challenges, which may arise at any point during collaborative relationships, were related to four major themes: communication; skills and expertise; contractual relationships; and research, data collection, and dissemination. Failure by university partners to properly address these challenges as they arise can lead to partner mistrust of universities and lack of interest in participating in collaborations in the future.  In addition, overcoming systemic challenges will lead to more efficient academic-community relationships, which will allow partners to better reach vulnerable populations that are at risk for health disparities.