Chair File: Community Partners Identify Needs and Lead Change

Community health initiatives that start with small successes can lead to bigger changes. St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City, KS, actively participates and was instrumental in the creation of the Finney County Community Health Coalition (FCCHC). This coalition was assembled after a small group of community leaders developed an effective teen pregnancy-prevention initiative. Successful results prompted formation of the FCCHC, which regularly convenes more than 50 community partners to identify community needs and find funding. The coalition began its work by focusing on three major community needs: reducing risky behaviors for young people, including teen pregnancy, smoking and drinking; improving transportation; and supporting families and children through two agendas: literacy training and preventing domestic violence. Since 2000, the coalition has completed several projects, including developing a Center for Children and Families, passing a no-smoking ordinance within city limits and creating a fixed-route bus service.

For more information, contact Shawna Deal, St. Catherine Hospital community relations coordinator, at ShawnaDeal@Centura.org, or Kayte Fulton, FCCHC interim director, at KayteFulton@Centura.org. This case example is from the AHA Committee on Research report “Next Generation of Community Health.”