TY - JOUR
T1 - Be Well™ Acres Homes
T2 - a community-driven, evidence-based approach to reduce health inequities through sustained cross-sector partnership
AU - Rechis, Ruth
AU - Oestman, Katherine B.
AU - Walsh, Michael T.
AU - Love, Brad
AU - Hawk, Ernest
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - Purpose: Be Well Communities™ is MD Anderson’s signature place-based approach for cancer prevention and control, working with communities to promote wellness and address modifiable risk factors for cancer. The purpose of this paper is to describe implementation of the planning phase of the Be Well Communities model in Acres Homes which began in 2019. Methods: A community advisory group (Steering Committee) including residents, non-profit organizations, health care partners, city and county agencies, plus other stakeholders, was convened and aligned through a structured process to develop shared goals, foster multisector collaboration, as measured by a stakeholder survey administered twice, and enhance community capacity to improve health outcomes through development of a Community Action Plan. Results: Clear, achievable goals were developed, multisector collaboration was enhanced, and more than 400 h of capacity building support led to a Community Action Plan initially focused on healthy eating and active living, including 15 evidence-based interventions led by 18 organizations. The majority (93%) of the Steering Committee reports that this plan reflects community priorities and will reach the residents most in need. Conclusion: By listening and developing trust, the Be Well Communities team successfully worked with Acres Homes residents and organizations to enhance community capacity to address health inequities in one of Houston’s most diverse and historic communities.
AB - Purpose: Be Well Communities™ is MD Anderson’s signature place-based approach for cancer prevention and control, working with communities to promote wellness and address modifiable risk factors for cancer. The purpose of this paper is to describe implementation of the planning phase of the Be Well Communities model in Acres Homes which began in 2019. Methods: A community advisory group (Steering Committee) including residents, non-profit organizations, health care partners, city and county agencies, plus other stakeholders, was convened and aligned through a structured process to develop shared goals, foster multisector collaboration, as measured by a stakeholder survey administered twice, and enhance community capacity to improve health outcomes through development of a Community Action Plan. Results: Clear, achievable goals were developed, multisector collaboration was enhanced, and more than 400 h of capacity building support led to a Community Action Plan initially focused on healthy eating and active living, including 15 evidence-based interventions led by 18 organizations. The majority (93%) of the Steering Committee reports that this plan reflects community priorities and will reach the residents most in need. Conclusion: By listening and developing trust, the Be Well Communities team successfully worked with Acres Homes residents and organizations to enhance community capacity to address health inequities in one of Houston’s most diverse and historic communities.
KW - Cancer prevention
KW - Community outreach and engagement
KW - Cross-sector partnerships
KW - Implementation science
KW - Population health
KW - Risk reduction behavior
KW - Systems strengthening
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85176726865&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10552-023-01818-4
DO - 10.1007/s10552-023-01818-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 37979072
AN - SCOPUS:85176726865
SN - 0957-5243
VL - 35
SP - 611
EP - 622
JO - Cancer Causes and Control
JF - Cancer Causes and Control
IS - 4
ER -