Applying Community Organizing Principles to Assess Health Needs in New Haven, Connecticut
Document Type
Article
Abstract
The Affordable Community Alliance for Research & Engagement Act added requirements for nonprofit hospitals to conduct community health needs assessments. Guidelines are minimal; however, they require input and representation from the broader community. This call echoes 2 decades of literature on the importance of including community members in all aspects of research design, a tenet of community organizing.
We describe a community-engaged research approach to a community health needs assessment in New Haven, Connecticut. We demonstrate that a robust community organizing approach provided unique research benefits: access to residents for data collection, reliable data, leverage for community-driven interventions, and modest improvements in behavioral risk.
We make recommendations for future community-engaged efforts and workforce development, which are important for responding to increasing calls for community health needs assessments.
Publication Status
Published
ISSN
1541-0048
Category Tags
Healthcare; Law, Policy, and Decision-Making; Activism and Advocacy
New Haven Neighborhood
New Haven (All)
Recommended Citation
Alycia Santilli, Amy Carroll-Scott, Jeannette R. Ickovics, “Applying Community Organizing Principles to Assess Health Needs in New Haven, Connecticut”, American Journal of Public Health 106, no. 5 (May 1, 2016): pp. 841-847.