Abstract
IntroductionThe Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory is a free, publicly available questionnaire about the quality and context of community collaboration. The purpose of this article is to share lessons from using this questionnaire in a North Carolina maternal and child health initiative.MethodsIn 2015, the State’s General Assembly funded five local health departments to implement evidence-based strategies for improving maternal and child health. Each health department formed a community action team for this purpose. Members of each community action team completed the Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory (Inventory) in the first year of funding and again 1 and 2 years later. Technical assistance coaches also asked community action team conveners to complete a brief questionnaire annually, and used these as well as Inventory results to plan for improvements.ResultsDuring the first year, community action teams emerged as strong in seeing collaboration in their self-interest. A primary challenge noted by conveners was engaging consumers on the community action teams. Strategies to address this included using social media and compensating consumers for attending meetings. By the second year, teams’ average scores in engaging multiple layers of participation increased, and eight additional factors became strengths, which generally continued in year three. The most consistent challenge was supporting community action teams administratively.DiscussionThe Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory provided a feasible tool for identifying opportunities for improvement in several local, cross-sector partnerships, suggesting promise for other communities seeking to enhance their collective impact on maternal and child health.
Highlights
The Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory is a free, publicly available questionnaire about the quality and context of community collaboration
The current study found the Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory effective for helping coaches work with community action teams to improve their collaboration over time
The purpose of the current paper is to describe lessons from the ICO4MCH program’s use of the Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory that may apply to other communities implementing collective impact initiatives
Summary
The Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory is a free, publicly available questionnaire about the quality and context of community collaboration. Methods In 2015, the State’s General Assembly funded five local health departments to implement evidence-based strategies for improving maternal and child health. Funders increasingly require collaboration toward sustainable improvement (Gillam et al 2016) One such example has been Improving Community Outcomes for Maternal and Child Health (ICO4MCH), funded by the North Carolina General Assembly (Morgan et al 2020). ICO4MCH began with 2-year funding cycles, the first being June 1, 2016–May 31, 2018, from the state Division of Public Health to five local health departments with a combined service area of 14 counties These funds were competitively awarded for implementing evidence-based strategies to lower infant mortality rates, improve birth outcomes, and improve the overall health of children ages birth to five
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