Participatory group facilitation: Gaining authentic input in Public Health planning and improvement processes

As part of accreditation readiness, local public health departments (LHDs) are required to complete several planning processes with multiple partners and diverse stakeholders. Gaining authentic input from local public health system, hospital, academic and community partners is a key ingredient in conducting a thorough Community Health Assessment, Community Health Improvement Plan and a departmental strategic plan.  Meaningful community engagement is also important to more general public health system improvement efforts.

This session will identify and describe group facilitation processes that have been successfully used in several states and LHDs to gain authentic input from partners and constituents across the country. Information will be shared about the philosophy, purpose and methods related to this type of facilitation. Examples of the results of participatory group facilitation processes and of how results were used will be discussed.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Explain the theory supporting participatory group facilitation methods

Identify participatory facilitation methods that support authentic community input

Differentiate which facilitation methods are best suited for different purposes

Describe how other LHDs have used participatory facilitation methods to advance their agendas while assuring meaningful community involvement.

This session will be illuminating for anyone responsible for carrying out accreditation readiness activities with a focus on Community Health Improvement Processes, as well as those who seek stronger, reliable ways to engage partners in providing input. Information from this session may be applied in additional public health arenas, including Health in All Policies planning and Laboratory System Improvement efforts.