A Partnered Approach to Health Assessment and Intervention in a Tri-Community Neighborhood in Houston, Texas: Methodology and Lessons Learned

BACKGROUND:  The goal of public health is to improve the health of a population and mobilizing community partnerships is considered one of the essential public health services.  While community health assessment is the key to understanding the health problems and priorities of a given population, the implementation process is often very complex, requiring diverse skill sets and community involvement. In response to health concerns in a tri-community neighborhood, in Houston, Texas, the Houston Department of Health and Human Services (HDHHS) collaborated with community and agency partners to undertake a comprehensive health assessment of the affected community.  Highlighted in this study is the methodology adopted and the lessons learned from this endeavor.

METHODS: HDHHS solicited and received assistance from several departments within the City of Houston, and community and agency partners. The assessment and intervention staff consisted of City of Houston employees and community partners and volunteers. The survey adopted the national incident command structure model. A total of 220 individuals from 32 community and agency partners participated in the two-day event. The Tri-Community Neighborhood was divided into four sections. The staff was divided into four large groups, called “pods.”  Each pod had three Teams: A, B, and C, and each team had three Tiers: Tier 1 was to administer the questionnaire; Tier 2 was to follow up on needs expressed by respondents; Tier 3 was a quick-response team of nurses who visited the household if they indicated a need for emergency medical attention. Runners carried completed questionnaires back to “Command Central” for entry by data entry operators. Over a two-day period, the HDHHS went door-to-door to every house in the community to administer the questionnaire. A total of 322 households completed the survey with a response rate of 53%.

RESULTS:  The key lessons learned were: the need for the department to remain visible in the community through continuous conduct of health assessments and interventions in different parts of Houston; the community partners took ownership of the process and were empowered; and there is need to focus on building the capacity of our partners and partnerships.

CONCLUSIONS:  The assessment was viewed to be a success because the organization gained true intelligence of the conditions in the community, increased community spirit and cohesiveness, addressed existing concerns by linking those in need with the appropriate services, and trained the HDHHS staff and community partners how to operate within the incident command structure.