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Community Mobilization to Improve Population Health

Community Mobilization to Improve Population Health. HESO 449 January 2011. Elaine J. Alpert, MD, MPH Adjunct Professor College of Health Disciplines. Community Mobilization Efforts. Help communities identify and take action on shared concerns Use participatory decision making

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Community Mobilization to Improve Population Health

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  1. Community Mobilization toImprove Population Health HESO 449 January 2011 Elaine J. Alpert, MD, MPH Adjunct Professor College of Health Disciplines

  2. Community Mobilization Efforts • Help communities identify and take action on shared concerns • Use participatory decision making • Two major forms: • Community advocacy • Community organizing / community building

  3. CommunityAdvocacy • A process in which members of a community become involved in institutions and decisions that have an impact on their lives. • Examples: • Lobbying • Phone banking • Letter writing campaigns • Letters to the editor • TV or radio appearances • Op-ed pieces • Community rallies • Lawn signs

  4. Tips forSuccessful Community Advocacy • Become an expert on the issue • base advocacy stance on solid science • Identify, develop and nurture relationships with key stakeholders • Promote new linkages among stakeholders • Identify, develop and nurture relationships with key decision makers • staff, aides, elected reps, affected individuals

  5. Tips forSuccessful Community Advocacy • Formulate a concise, articulate message • elevator speech • talking points memo • press release • web site • Organize others to action • broad representation • splits up the work

  6. Tips forSuccessful Community Advocacy • Make personal visits to policy makers • Use media effectively • to promote your cause • to get positive press for your allies • Reinforce message • info packet (include scientific data sources) • follow up thank you note

  7. Tips forSuccessful Community Advocacy • Volunteer to serve as a resource • maintain helpful contact • Respond quickly to questions • Follow up with help re: implementation

  8. Community Organizing • A process by which community groups are helped to identify common problems or goals, mobilize resources, and in other ways develop and implement strategies for reaching the goals they have collectively set. • Community organizers work with and develop new local leaders, facilitating coalitions and assisting in the development of campaigns. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_organizing

  9. Community Organizing: Features • Inclusion, collective ownership, relationship building, leadership development • Focuses on collective vs individual action • Focus on higher s-e levels for intervention • Brings new voices to the table • Changes balance of power

  10. A Good Community Organizer • Knows about the community • Has strong communication skills • Has access to appropriate resources • $$ • Space • Parking • Human • Has excellent leadership skills • Comes from within • Has passion for the issue • Has credibility – professional vs street

  11. Steps in Community Organizing 1. Name the issue • Grass-roots or citizen-initiated • From within the community • Community more likely to take ownership • From outside • Health board, legislator, well-meaning outsider • Less likely to be trusted, integrated • Need to build trust and earn respect

  12. Steps in Community Organizing 2. Learn about the community*** • Critical step if from outside • History • Geography • Make-up • Demographics • Political leadership • Cultural dynamics • Ask, look and listen! • Essential to ask about community concerns

  13. Steps in Community Organizing 2. Learn about the community, cont. • Identify and work with community gatekeepers • know the community, how it functions • are the power-brokers even if no formal titles • community members know who they are • can make or break the intervention

  14. Steps in Community Organizing 3. Create an action team • Begin with those already interested, get them on board early (core group) • Identify core group key contact or leader • see the need and have the passion and TIME • technical skills (strategy and communication) • interaction skills (empathy, problem solving) • political skills (what to say and to whom, etc.) • Broaden and expand (some will be more active) • Don’t spend initial time trying to convert skeptics

  15. Steps in Community Organizing 4. Assess the community • Asset-based community building • Focus on strengths and capacities, not problems • Community capacity assessment • Needs-based assessment • Focus on problems, needs (Both are important)

  16. Steps in Community Organizing 5. Develop an Action Plan • Action team (community) sets priorities • Best if by consensus instead of voting • Stakeholders must have a role • May need a skilled facilitator • Turf battles may surface here • May need to form task forces, subcommittees or working groups to deal with turf issues

  17. Steps in Community Organizing 6. Execute the plan • Primary strategy plus alternatives • Include input of subcommittees • Build base of support in community • “Town” meetings • Door knocking • Petitions • Media • Give people specific and achievable tasks • Follow up and maintain visibility

  18. Leadership and Management What Effective Leaders Do What Effective Managers Do

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