The Community As A Full Partner: A New Model for Public Health

Of all the lessons public health learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to enhance our community engagement efforts may be the most important. At face value, it may be easy to understand this need to enhance community engagement, but how we move forward can often be a complex process. A recent study has provided valuable insights into these efforts by surveying community based organizations and health departments to get a better picture of what barriers and opportunities exist when it comes to community engagement. The results were then used to develop 6 recommendations: “establish state and local community councils to formalize the roles of community-based organizations in public health decision-making; dedicate funding to these organizations; offer funding that is not limited to a specific disease or condition; simplify procurement and reporting processes directed to community-based organizations; create a training and technical assistance program for these organizations; and increase public health worker diversity, including sustainable funding for community health workers.” View the full article on the HealthAffairs.org website.

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