Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Collaborative Community Mobilization Initiative toward Population Health Improvement in Central Appalachia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The “Collaborative Community Mobilization Initiative toward Population Health Improvement in Central Appalachia” developed a consensus definition of population health through stakeholder engagement as a common agenda for a network of social support agencies to address health priorities in this region. The Tennessee Institute of Public Health at East Tennessee State University’s College of Public Health and the Healthy Appalachia Institute at the University of Virginia-Wise collaboratively conducted six focus groups, three in Northeast Tennessee and three in Southwest Virginia, with representatives from area stakeholder agencies, organizations, clinical providers, governments, schools, and other significant groups. Funded by the National Network of Public Health Institutes, these discussions, supplemented by key informant interviews and on-line surveys, identified current practices and needed strategies that could impact the health of the population, including social determinants. Using a mixed methods approach to develop a set of research questions that targeted the health needs of the general population, including health needs not currently met, we used invitational and snowball sampling to gather individuals from stakeholders identified through a Delphi method by our advisory board. The tabulated results were qualitatively analyzed by primary researchers and students from the ETSU College of Public Health Community Health Concentration classes. The results reflect cultural motivations, networks of practice, and identify service gaps which will inform health policy recommendations to regional health institutions in both states and the formation of an advisory board to ensure comprehensive health improvement. Relevant literature includes Himmelman’s Collaboration for Change (2004) and the Accountable Health Communities Model.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Bill Brooks, MPH, DrPH, is the MPH Coordinator in the College of Public Health at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. He jointly holds appointments in the Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology and Internal Medicine at ETSU, focusing on prescription drug abuse, measurement of childhood trauma, and population health network evaluation.
Collaborative Community Mobilization Initiative toward Population Health Improvement in Central Appalachia
The “Collaborative Community Mobilization Initiative toward Population Health Improvement in Central Appalachia” developed a consensus definition of population health through stakeholder engagement as a common agenda for a network of social support agencies to address health priorities in this region. The Tennessee Institute of Public Health at East Tennessee State University’s College of Public Health and the Healthy Appalachia Institute at the University of Virginia-Wise collaboratively conducted six focus groups, three in Northeast Tennessee and three in Southwest Virginia, with representatives from area stakeholder agencies, organizations, clinical providers, governments, schools, and other significant groups. Funded by the National Network of Public Health Institutes, these discussions, supplemented by key informant interviews and on-line surveys, identified current practices and needed strategies that could impact the health of the population, including social determinants. Using a mixed methods approach to develop a set of research questions that targeted the health needs of the general population, including health needs not currently met, we used invitational and snowball sampling to gather individuals from stakeholders identified through a Delphi method by our advisory board. The tabulated results were qualitatively analyzed by primary researchers and students from the ETSU College of Public Health Community Health Concentration classes. The results reflect cultural motivations, networks of practice, and identify service gaps which will inform health policy recommendations to regional health institutions in both states and the formation of an advisory board to ensure comprehensive health improvement. Relevant literature includes Himmelman’s Collaboration for Change (2004) and the Accountable Health Communities Model.
