Community-Based Strategies for Health Priority Setting and Action Planning

Abstract

The Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center implemented initiatives in direct response to priorities identified through a community-based participatory research driven health needs and assets assessment. Led by a community-majority coalition board, the assessment coupled secondary data with primary survey data collected by and from 607 Atlanta community residents. This paper will detail the assessment process, which included identification of community residents’ health priorities and policies, systems, or environmental issues that impact community health. We will also describe the process of disseminating the assessment results through community conversations to increase community residents’ awareness of these priorities to effect change.