 |
| Priti Irani, Chair |
In March and April of 2010, the 1,700 or so Community Health Planning and Policy Development (CHPPD) Section members were invited to participate in a Section priorities feedback survey. Members were told that the information provided would be used to identify and match interests and expertise with action plans for this year and upcoming years.
After one reminder, 98 members responded, making for a 6 percent response rate. By any standards, this is a low response rate. It is consistent with past response rates to surveys conducted by the Section.
For every Section priority area, at least one or more of the respondents indicated he/she would work on it as their first choice. This is very encouraging! Forty-three of the respondents are new members, 20 percent are students, and 9 percent have been Section members for 10+ years. Members from all regions of the United States responded to the survey with most representation from Regions V (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI); and III (DE, MD, PA, VA, WV, Washington D.C.).
Findings
The top four priorities members want to work on as a first choice are:
-
community health improvement
-
social determinants of health
-
community-based participatory research
-
health reform, quality of health care, and certificate of need
The top two projects members would like to work on are:
1. Write an APHA proposed policy or organize an invited session on social justice/social determinants of health (power, poverty, education, etc.)
2. Be part of the CHPPD Section Rapid Response Team who provides written comments on specific federal regulations (Healthy People 2010, Obesity Task Force, health reform, etc.)
The top two activities respondents would like to work on are:
- coordinating an oral presentation/poster session for the Annual meeting
- contribute to the newsletter
Discussion
During the May 18 Section conference call, there was discussion about the relevance of the low survey response rate. Most agreed that while the response rates were low, the 98 respondents offered a starting point for reaching out to Section and APHA members.
In the past, the Section has conducted surveys, shared the results and moved on. This time, I hope we will consider this a study in community engagement, and be more purposeful in how we move on.
Some questions we have the opportunity to explore:
-
What will it take to mobilize members, many of whom are new?
-
Will these members help reach out to other members? What will this look like?
-
Will the mobilization strategies result in action, or will it make no difference?
The major challenge for the Section is rotating volunteer leadership and membership. The strengths are the passion and genuine interest among members to engage communities.
Conclusion
Section members are beginning the dialogue. If you have suggestions or comments regarding the survey or follow-up, please contact me at pri01@health.state.ny.us.
- Priti Irani, CHPPD Section Chair