Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

From Engagement To Action: Assessing Community Readiness For Disparities Mobilization, Linda S. Sprague Martinez, Elmer Freeman, Flavia C. Perea

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

In an effort to engage communities across the state of Massachusetts in tackling health disparities, Critical MASS (CM), in partnership with local researchers piloted a readiness assessment to identify community assets, perceptions of disparities, and interest in partnership. The research process was used to facilitate the development of partnerships between outside organizers, researchers, and community stakeholders. Partnership outcomes included a disparities conference aimed at bringing attention to concerns in the community, and a grant submission aimed at addressing community identified disparities. Despite the successes the partnership faced challenges. Logistics and limited resources hindered partner efforts to sustain the relationship. This …