Coaction Institute partners with University of San Francisco MPH Interns to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community health coalitions
Since the outbreak of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, organizations and business of all kinds have had to reexamine and modify ways in which they work together, both internally and with external stakeholders. For those whose missions focus on population, community and public health, these reflections and adjustments have occurred in especially urgent circumstances. The remarkable work of those on the front lines and those behind the scenes is generating understanding of all aspects of the novel virus’ origins, risk and protective factors and consequences at breakneck speed. One aspect of our understanding that has been less thoroughly addressed is the impact of the pandemic on existing collaborative efforts addressing a variety of community health issues. In response, Coaction Institute engaged the support of summer interns from the University of San Francisco’s Master of Public Health program. The students assessed the impact on coalitions in Washoe County, Nevada and Sacramento and Yolo Counties in California; exploring potential differences between those led by public agencies and those led by non-profit organizations or volunteers. With little time in which to engage stakeholders for interviews and in the context of the pandemic’s effect on availability, the results reveal a need to both expand and deepen this exploration. It is unlikely that any work associated with community health will return to previous norms and standard flows, including that of collaborative practice. The identification of challenges experienced, strategies found to be most helpful and new innovations is essential for future efforts. Coaction Institute looks forward to continuing this work and sharing the wisdom gleaned from the field.
Read the full report here: covid_impact_on_collaborative_practice.pdf
Read the full report here: covid_impact_on_collaborative_practice.pdf
Coaction Institute & Graduate Interns Build Capacity for Collaborative Action
Coaction Institute is mentoring students in the University of San Francisco's Master in Public Health program as they explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the collaborative practices of coalitions in Sacramento and Yolo counties in Northern California and Washoe County in Nevada. Under the preceptorship of Martin Rivalora, specially contracted by Coaction Institute for this project, the students are engaging leaders from coalitions led by public agencies and nonprofits to explore their groups' key strategies and actions, and in what way, if any, those have been altered during the public health crisis. Final reports of the result of their work will be produced in early Fall of 2020.
Coaction Institute Partners with the Center to Advance Community Health & Equity (CACHE)
Coaction Institute is partnering with CACHE to provide qualitative research and analytic support to solidify CACHE’s place-based strategy aimed at communities, hospitals, policymakers and local and state health agencies. Coaction Institute's Director, Dr. Dory Escobar, and the Institute's new Senior Analyst, Smruti Shah, MPH, will oversee Master in Public Health, Master in Health Informatics and graduate students in other disciplines. Working with Coaction's staff, the students will develop and implement the protocol and tools needed for complex data analysis and visualization to support funding and programmatic decisions by local governments and key health and community development partners that reduce health and social inequities in their communities.
Coaction Institute's FY2018-2019 Year-End Report:
Late 2017 brought significant challenges and changes to Coaction Institute’s home community of Sonoma County, California. The historic wildfires of October 2017 dictated new priorities and focus for local stakeholders, including Coaction; with new demands on successful collaborative practice. At the same time, Coaction’s Director joined the faculty in the University of San Francisco’s Master of Public Health program. These factors, and more, slowed Coaction Institute’s work, but didn’t bring it to a halt. Highlights of Coaction’s work during this fiscal year (July 2018 – June 2019) include:
• YMCA-SF: Coaction Institute provided consultation and training on understanding and preventing secondary stress and traumatization among community health workers, currently serving low-income housing communities in Bay View – Hunter’s Point and the Sunnydale neighborhoods of SF. ($10,000 fee for services obtained for Coaction.)
• Community Catalyst: Coaction Institute provided technical assistance and support on data collection and analysis for a community health needs assessment, as well as research on evidence-based interventions to address the priority health issues identified in the assessment. ($15,000 fee for services obtained for Coaction.
• Beneficiaries of In-Kind Technical Assistance through Board participation in Sonoma County organizations: Child Parent Institute, Latino Service Providers’ Testimonios Project, and the Roseland School District.
• Coaction Fellowship: Members of the first cohort were active in the community, as described below. Most notably during this fiscal year, a Coaction Fellow successfully ran for City Council in the City of Santa Rosa, CA.
These efforts contributed to some meaningful outcomes:
• The first cohort of Coaction Fellows are active and successfully contributing to community improvement efforts. Some of their achievements during this year include election to Santa Rosa City Council, new leadership role at Hanna Institute, program leadership role at the CA Center for Well-Being, Peace Corps service in Guatemala, and chairing the Sonoma County Food System Alliance.
• Approximately a dozen community health workers and their supervisors have been trained in the risk and protective factors associated with secondary stress among community health workers, and prevention plans were formulated at an institutional and individual levels. Follow-up support will be provided during the next fiscal year as they implement those plans. During the current fiscal year, the team was supported by Coaction Institute when confronted with 3 homicides in the communities it serves.
• Coaction Institute joined the Root Cause Coalition, a national organization of stakeholders addressing the social determinants of health.
• Coaction Institute maintained its affiliation with the Association for Community Health Improvement, an important national venue for partnerships and potential funding opportunities.
• Coaction’s Director served on community advisory boards, helping to meet the goals of building community capacity for collaboration and of building strong and resilient agents of change: Latino Service Providers “Testimonios” Youth Mental Health Promoters project; Child Parent Institute; and Roseland School District.
Coaction Institute has some exciting plans for the upcoming fiscal year. Consultation with the YMCA-SF to follow up on the staff trained in the prevention of secondary stress, monitor actions plans, and conduct post-test on training participants. During this year, efforts are underway to identify and engage another organization working with Community Health Workers/Promotores de Salud to build its capacity to address the risks for secondary stress.
Recruitment is beginning this month to engage the second Coaction Fellowship cohort. Members of the first cohort of Fellows will participate in mentoring activities of the incoming group. New this year, the Fellows will be working together a on community-based research project on collaboration in disaster preparedness and response. Potential partners, active coalitions in Sonoma County relevant to the research topic, have been identified with input from community stakeholders and are currently being approached with the proposal. ci_fellowshipannouncement_cohort2.pdf
Late 2017 brought significant challenges and changes to Coaction Institute’s home community of Sonoma County, California. The historic wildfires of October 2017 dictated new priorities and focus for local stakeholders, including Coaction; with new demands on successful collaborative practice. At the same time, Coaction’s Director joined the faculty in the University of San Francisco’s Master of Public Health program. These factors, and more, slowed Coaction Institute’s work, but didn’t bring it to a halt. Highlights of Coaction’s work during this fiscal year (July 2018 – June 2019) include:
• YMCA-SF: Coaction Institute provided consultation and training on understanding and preventing secondary stress and traumatization among community health workers, currently serving low-income housing communities in Bay View – Hunter’s Point and the Sunnydale neighborhoods of SF. ($10,000 fee for services obtained for Coaction.)
• Community Catalyst: Coaction Institute provided technical assistance and support on data collection and analysis for a community health needs assessment, as well as research on evidence-based interventions to address the priority health issues identified in the assessment. ($15,000 fee for services obtained for Coaction.
• Beneficiaries of In-Kind Technical Assistance through Board participation in Sonoma County organizations: Child Parent Institute, Latino Service Providers’ Testimonios Project, and the Roseland School District.
• Coaction Fellowship: Members of the first cohort were active in the community, as described below. Most notably during this fiscal year, a Coaction Fellow successfully ran for City Council in the City of Santa Rosa, CA.
These efforts contributed to some meaningful outcomes:
• The first cohort of Coaction Fellows are active and successfully contributing to community improvement efforts. Some of their achievements during this year include election to Santa Rosa City Council, new leadership role at Hanna Institute, program leadership role at the CA Center for Well-Being, Peace Corps service in Guatemala, and chairing the Sonoma County Food System Alliance.
• Approximately a dozen community health workers and their supervisors have been trained in the risk and protective factors associated with secondary stress among community health workers, and prevention plans were formulated at an institutional and individual levels. Follow-up support will be provided during the next fiscal year as they implement those plans. During the current fiscal year, the team was supported by Coaction Institute when confronted with 3 homicides in the communities it serves.
• Coaction Institute joined the Root Cause Coalition, a national organization of stakeholders addressing the social determinants of health.
• Coaction Institute maintained its affiliation with the Association for Community Health Improvement, an important national venue for partnerships and potential funding opportunities.
• Coaction’s Director served on community advisory boards, helping to meet the goals of building community capacity for collaboration and of building strong and resilient agents of change: Latino Service Providers “Testimonios” Youth Mental Health Promoters project; Child Parent Institute; and Roseland School District.
Coaction Institute has some exciting plans for the upcoming fiscal year. Consultation with the YMCA-SF to follow up on the staff trained in the prevention of secondary stress, monitor actions plans, and conduct post-test on training participants. During this year, efforts are underway to identify and engage another organization working with Community Health Workers/Promotores de Salud to build its capacity to address the risks for secondary stress.
Recruitment is beginning this month to engage the second Coaction Fellowship cohort. Members of the first cohort of Fellows will participate in mentoring activities of the incoming group. New this year, the Fellows will be working together a on community-based research project on collaboration in disaster preparedness and response. Potential partners, active coalitions in Sonoma County relevant to the research topic, have been identified with input from community stakeholders and are currently being approached with the proposal. ci_fellowshipannouncement_cohort2.pdf
YMCA-SF Urban Services commits to preventing secondary stress among its Community Health Ambassadors
|