Community-academic partnership boosts impact of health fairs

Community health resource fairs can connect area residents to a range of services, including screenings, health education, and social service resources. A case study from the CEAL Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia Regional Team (CEAL DMV) demonstrates how infusing principles of community-engaged research (CEnR) into the planning and implementation of resource fairs can increase their reach, build community trust, and foster sustainability.

“Collaboration between CEnR teams and CBOs is instrumental in driving the success of community resource fairs. These partnerships, characterized by a wide range of expertise, resources, and connections, can amplify the impact of these events.” Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, October 2024

Baltimore CONNECT, a network of more than 35 community-based organizations (CBOs), partnered with a CEnR team at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and CEAL to conduct community-led resource fairs across Baltimore. The deep local ties of Baltimore CONNECT CBOs helped make sure that the resource fairs were responsive to the needs of residents, centering the community in all decision-making. The CEnR team played a collaborative, capacity-building role, supporting community-led planning in part by providing volunteer, financial, health information, and promotional resources.

Through the five resource fairs held over a 2.5-year period, 75 CBOs and nine research and academic organizations connected Baltimore residents with health information and services, as well as food, housing, and financial support. The pooling of resources and skills among the CBOs and CEnR teams proved mutually beneficial, presenting a successful model of leveraging CEnR to promote continued community engagement. The shared learnings from the partnership, and a shared investment in community well-being, offer promise for future community-led efforts.

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