Community Capacity Building to Reduce Health Disparities

Some Capacity Building members

Project Details

  • Principal Investigator: Marc Zimmerman, PhD, UM SPH
  • Project Manager: Julie Ober Allen, MPH, UM SPH
  • Project dates: 2004-2009 (former PRC/MI Core Research Project)
  • Funding Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Description

The goal of this project is to increase our Community Based Organization (CBO) partners’ capacity to more effectively identify and develop research questions that will address health behaviors and health disparities through individual, environmental, and systems change.

The project provides CBOs with several opportunities for: 1) understanding the effect of historical, cultural, and structural determinants of health disparities; 2) developing their infrastructure; 3) enhancing their capability to work with and effect University researchers and community institutions (e.g., Health Department, health service system); and 4) developing their power to influence state and local policy makers to effect environmental and systems change to address health priorities and health disparities of concern to them.

The intervention consists of comprehensive technical assistance (defined by CBOs) for CBOs. It also includes opportunities for CBOs to increase non-CBO capacity for working with communities.

A multiple case study design is used to document and evaluate organizational change. This project is guided by empowerment theory and will assess organizational change related to organizational empowerment.

Partner Organizations

Dort-Oak Park Neighborhood House
Faith Access to Community Economic Development (FACED)
Flint Odyssey House, Inc. Health Awareness Center
Genesee County Community Action Resource Department (GCCARD)
Genesee County Health Department
Greater Flint Health Coalition
Neighborhood Roundtable
YOUR Center

Capacity Building Steering Committee

Julie Allen, UM SPH (Interim Chair)
Kent Key, Flint Odyssey House, Inc. Health Awareness Center (Community Co-chair)
Lee Bell, Neighborhood Roundtable
Bob Boyler, Dort Oak Park Neighborhood House
Bettina Campbell, YOUR Center
E. Hill De Loney, Flint Odyssey House, Inc. Health Awareness Center
Rev. Hydrian Elliott, Dort Oak Park Neighborhood House
Erica Leverette, FACED
Yvonne Lewis, FACED
Lauren Shirey, Genesee County Health Department
Stephen Skorcz, Greater Flint Health Coalition
Arlene Sparks, GCCARD

Journal Articles

Griffith, D. M., Allen, J. O., De Loney, E. H., Robinson, K., Lewis, E. Y., Campbell, B., Morrel-Samuels, S., Sparks, A., Zimmerman, M. A., & Reischl, T. (2010). Community-based organizational capacity building as a strategy to reduce racial health disparities. Journal of Primary Prevention, 31(1–2), 31–39. http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-77951232976&partnerID=40&md5=daeb01a015098b48e352d5eb85e0f5d4
Kannan, S., Webster, D., Sparks, A., Acker, C. M., Greene-Moton, E., Tropiano, E., & Turner, T. (2008). Using a cultural framework to assess the nutrition influences in relation to birth outcomes among African American women of childbearing age: Application of the PEN-3 theoretical model. Health Promotion Practice, 10(3), 349–358.
Griffith, D. M., Allen, J. O., Zimmerman, M. A., Morrel-Samuels, S., Reischl, T. M., Cohen, S. E., & Campbell, K. A. (2008). Organizational empowerment in community mobilization to address youth violence. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 34(3 Suppl), S89-99.
Kruger, D. J., Brady, J. S., & Shirey, L. A. (2008). Using GIS to facilitate community-based public health planning of diabetes intervention efforts. Health Promotion Practice, 9(1), 76–81.
Selig, S., Tropiano, E., & Greene-Moton, E. (2006). Teaching cultural competence to reduce health disparities. Health Promotion Practice, 7(3 Suppl), 247S-55S.
Njai, R., Zimmerman, M. A., Letcher, A., & Bell, L. (2005). Know Y.A. R.O.O.T.S.: A Youth Empowerment Program for Violence Prevention. Community Youth Development Journal, Special Peer Reviewed Issue, Fall, 65–76. http://www.cydjournal.org/contents.html

Presentations

Key, K., Bell, L., Campbell, B., de Loney, E. H., Sparks, A., & Allen, J. O. (2009, November). CBPR partnerships, policy and products: A community perspective. Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Philadelphia, PA. https://apha.confex.com/apha/137am/webprogram/Paper205002.html
De Loney, E. H., Bell, L., Campbell, B., Key, K., Sparks, A., & Allen, J. O. (2009, November). Do current institutional practices/policies threaten the existence of authentic CBPR? Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Philadelphia, PA. https://apha.confex.com/apha/137am/webprogram/Paper205026.html
Campbell, B., Pichon, L. C., Griffith, D. M., & Allen, J. O. (2009, September). YOUR Blessed Health: Educating Faith-Based Organizations to Mobilizing communities about HIV/AIDS Awareness [Paper]. Health Ministries Association Michigan Chapter Inaugural Regional Conference, Sterling Heights, MI.
Griffith, D. M., De Loney, E. H., Allen, J. O., Campbell, B., Lewis, Y., & Sparks, A. (2007, November). Race, racism and CBPR: Taming the elephant in the room. Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.
Griffith, D. M., De Loney, E. H., Allen, J. O., Campbell, B., Lewis, Y., & Sparks, A. (2006, November). Costs of Participation for Community-Based Organizations: Building Stability and Capacity to Address Health Disparities [Paper]. Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Boston, MA.
Kruger, D. J., Noble, K., & Shirey, L. A. (2006, November). Planning diabetes intervention efforts with geographical information systems. Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Boston, MA.

Books/Book Chapters

Prevention Research Center of Michigan. (2007). Building capacity to improve community health (Booklet). Prevention Research Center of Michigan.

Technical Reports

Prevention Research Center of, M. (2007). Building Capacity to Improve Community Health [Report]. Prevention Research Center of Michigan.
Griffith, D. M., & Allen, J. O. (2005). Capacity Building Project Baseline Evaluation: Organizational Assessment Survey [Report]. Prevention Research Center of Michigan.