Community Capacity-Building to Reduce Health Disparities

University of Michigan: Prevention Research Center of Michigan

Topics:
Community Health

This 5-year research project is testing a model designed to enhance community-based organizations’ (CBOs) ability to be effective partners in local efforts to eliminate health disparities. Based on a theory of organizational empowerment, the overall goal of the project is to help CBOs be equal and effective partners who can proactively engage other partners and help determine, implement, and monitor a local prevention research agenda. The project committee, which is co-led by community and university partners, has chosen a three-pronged approach to developing CBO capacity: assess and monitor the organizations’ capacity to collaborate on center research projects; enhance organizations’ financial management skills to effectively conduct research and achieve their respective missions; and strengthen their ability to collaborate with other community-based organizations, university researchers, and health department systems, and health service providers.

During the project, the CBOs collaborate with the county health department, the university, and a county-wide health coalition, all of which are resources for, and provide technical assistance to the CBOs. Those CBOs with specific and relevant expertise and experience will teach to other CBOs. The technical assistance provided may include topics such as understanding survey data, conducting focus groups, developing logic models, developing budgets, strategic planning, or designing and evaluating programs. Particular attention is paid to enhancing the CBOs’ ability to use data collected from a related core project (Speak to Your Health! Community Survey), designed to determine and monitor factors that contribute to the community’s health disparities and health status.

The center’s evaluation team will conduct case studies to document changes that each CBO makes to its structures and strategies, and the extent to which these changes affect the CBOs’ ability to influence community decisions. If effective, the prevention research center plans to package the project’s capacity-building curriculum and make it available to a wide audience through the Michigan Public Health Training Center.

 

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