Growing and Sustaining Community Partnerships: Two Use Cases (CEACR)

The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Center for Rural and Community Health (WVSOM CRCH) The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Center for Rural and Community Health (WVSOM CRCH)* offers an example of this type of excellence in community service and partnership. Over the years, WVSOM CRCH has partnered with community-based organizations (CBOs) in rural areas across West Virginia to address population health, quality of life, and differences in health outcomes that rural communities experience. Examples include responding to emergencies and starting essential programs to meet community needs and interests. Each partnership builds a foundation of trust and drives sustained community change. WVSOM CRCH’s story illustrates how academic research institutions can build reciprocal community partnerships characterized by long-term mutual trust and support.

Key Questions: 

• Why are community partnerships important? Community partnerships help build relationships and trust with community members, who may benefit from or be affected by research results. This trust can help encourage participation in research activities.
• How are community partnerships and community-led activities related to research? By partnering with community leaders and participating in community-led activities, researchers gain a deeper understanding of the community and what is important to them. This can lead to more effective research questions and study design, as well as greater community participation.
• How can academic researchers build partnerships with communities? Academic researchers can begin by contacting community leaders or community-based organizations and becoming familiar with them and the priorities of the community. As the following examples illustrate, responding to an emergency or acute community situation can help build these critical relationships.

Use Case 1: Building Relationships by Assisting in Emergency Response Efforts 

In the summer of 2016, Greenbrier County, WV, home of the WVSOM CRCH, was severely affected by a deadly flood that wreaked havoc across West Virginia, causing extensive damage and displacing thousands of people. WVSOM CRCH joined a county-wide task force comprising government agencies, businesses, health care organizations, and academic institutions that organized local disaster relief. Together, these organizations helped meet housing, food, transportation, and health care needs and supplemented the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s response. The WVSOM CRCH offered space, hosted task force meetings, and served as a connector for resources and CBOs. 

When the pandemic hit, the task force quickly and efficiently remobilized to host regional vaccine clinics, collect and distribute food donations, and address other needs caused by the pandemic. The WVSOM CRCH became more than a source of education and vaccinations; it became a cornerstone of the community. The WVSOM CRCH achieved this through active listening, engaging residents in programs that met their needs, and collaborating with community experts and leaders, especially the Greenbeier County Health Department. By providing resources and responding to community needs, the WVSOM established a strong foundation of trust and reciprocity with community members, which can support future community-engaged research.

Key Takeaways: 

• Establish partnerships before conducting research. Trust is an essential aspect of community-engaged research. Build trust with community leaders and CBOs by investing time in relationship-building and showing up for the community before making requests of them. Researchers can offer support for community-led projects outside of research activities whenever possible.
• Prioritize serving the community. Academic research institutions should promote health by prioritizing the needs and interests of communities along with research activities. This process ensures that research outcomes return value to community members.
• Lean on community expertise. Residents know their community the best. By relying on residents’ lived experiences, researchers can learn about community interests, address community-specific needs through research, and receive consistent feedback on their work.

Use Case 2: Community-Led Projects Offering Insights Into Local Needs and Priorities 

The WVSOM CRCH formed the nonprofit Greenbrier County Health Alliance (GCHA) which developed the Community Ambassador Program (CAP) to fund collaborative, community-driven projects that promote residents’ health and transform the places where they live. This program serves as part of GCHA’s mission to assess and determine local needs and implement community-driven solutions. 

The CAP is founded on the central principles of engagement and participatory methods, including trust, respect, agency, empowerment, and shared leadership. The program uses grassroots approaches, focusing on the strengths and priorities of rural populations and low-resource communities. 

At least once a year, GCHA solicits proposals from community volunteers for solutions and projects that address community needs and promote health for all. GCHA awards $1,000 mini-grants to about a dozen Community Ambassadors and supports them with resources, training, and technical assistance to help ensure their success. One of these mini-grants was used to renovate a community center, providing an open space for seniors to meet and share meals. By gathering proposals and providing funding, GCHA connects with Community Ambassadors to build capacity and infrastructure for sustainable, community-led engagement.

Key Takeaways: 

• Dedicate funding for engagement and community projects. By committing budget funds to community-focused projects, academic research institutions can tangibly invest in and support critical community-led work, address community needs, and establish the groundwork for future research partnerships.
• Community partnerships can support a broad view of wellness to address various social determinants of health. Through various projects and programs, researchers can uplift the community as a whole.
• Engage community partners in research. Build partnerships to launch research projects with community members that focus on their interests. Beyond participation, provide community members the opportunity to co-lead each stage of a research study. If your academic institution receives an invitation to participate in research relevant to your community partners, consider inviting your community partners to participate as well.

Requests for CEACR services can be made at https://redcap.link/consultrequest*