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Chapter 2. Some Other Models for Promoting Community Health ... >
Section 13. MAPP: Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships >
MAPP: Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships |
Tools & Checklists | Adapted by Phil Rabinowitz from NACCHO, the National Association of County and City Health Officials Edited by Bill Berkowitz |
Tools
Tool #1: Tip Sheet—The Visioning Process
This tool is an example of the tools available on the NACCHO/MAPP website.
The following is a useful method for structuring community visioning. A similar approach can be used with a committee visioning process. The process details the development of a shared vision, as well as common values.
Preparations
Select a site that can readily accommodate 40-100 persons. Set up the room with participants seated in a circle. This encourages participation by all persons in attendance.Invitations should be clear and be sent in a timely manner to avoid confusion. Care should be taken to ensure that the time and place facilitate broad attendance. Carefully consider the venue and schedule and how it will accommodate participants with differing schedules or lifestyles.
Key individuals to support the visioning process include: 1) a facilitator who can effectively manage the large group process in a neutral way (see Tip Sheet — Facilitation within the MAPP Process); and 2) one or two note-takers to record the discussion. Recording is a task that should not be assigned or undertaken lightly. The recorder(s) should be skillful at organizing and synthesizing material and should strive to capture the exact wording — to the extent possible — used by participants. You may also want to designate some individuals to act as observers; these individuals can assure everything is on track and can provide suggestions to the facilitator if needed.
Welcome/Introduction
Set the tone of the visioning session by greeting participants when they arrive, arranging for clear signage, and offering light refreshments. Helping people feel comfortable upon arrival and communicating to participants the importance of their presence can go a long way toward building trust and commitment.
The facilitator or a MAPP Committee representative should open the meeting with an explanation of MAPP and why a visioning process is important. The list of benefits cited in the MAPP Visioning guidance can be a useful reference. Be sure to emphasize that the goal is to create a shared vision for the community and not a vision for any one organization.
Building Rapport/Icebreaker
After the introduction, a small amount of time should be dedicated to building rapport among the participants. Everyone in the room should be given a chance to introduce themselves. Consider having participants engage in icebreaker exercises; these can help to ease tension in the room and get everyone comfortable. Icebreaker activities might include the following.
- As people introduce themselves, ask them to state their expectation for the meeting. They can also be asked to state a "fun fact" about themselves, to help ease the tension.
- Since all of the participants may not know each other well, participants can be divided into groups of 2-4 to "chat" for 10 minutes, then return to the larger group to introduce each other.
Vision Brainstorming and Development
Once participants are comfortable with the topic and with each other, the dialogue should be moved toward discussing a vision for the community. Questions should be formulated beforehand to drive this discussion. Useful visioning questions might include:
- What does a healthy Anywhere County mean to you?
- What are important characteristics of a healthy community for all who live, work, and play here? and
- How do you envision the local public health system in the next five or ten years?
Responses to these questions should focus on broad concepts; not details. Responses can be collected through brainstorming activities or by writing ideas down and then sharing them. The group can be organized to gather information through small group processes, or the questions can be addressed by the group as a whole.
Possible approaches for brainstorming include:
- Ask each person to write down what they believe about healthy communities. Then ask participants to pair up, share their thoughts, and develop a joint list. Participants should clarify each other's ideas and discuss any conflicting information. Then each pair can join another pair and repeat the process. The process is repeated until the entire group is back together.
- Ask each participant to write down their ideas. Then, in round-robin fashion, go around the room, posting all ideas on a flip chart (this can be shortened by limiting the number of ideas offered). After all ideas are shared, the group discusses and organizes them.
- Distribute small pieces of paper and ask participants to write down their ideas — one idea on each piece of paper. Then have participants tape their ideas to a wall. A small group then moves the ideas around until common ideas are grouped together. List and discuss the common ideas.
Values Brainstorming and Development
Once many ideas have been gathered and there is consensus about the concepts contained in a community vision, the group can move on to identifying common values (this may be done in the second part of the first session, or during a second session). It is strongly recommended that the actual drafting of the vision statement be done by a small task force or staff group.
The values brainstorming process should be similar and can use the same brainstorming techniques. Questions to elicit thoughts on common values include:
- Taking into consideration the shared vision that has been developed, what are the key behaviors that will be required of the local public health system partners, the community, and others in the next five to ten years to achieve the vision?
- What type of working environment or climate is necessary to support participants in performing the above behaviors and in achieving the vision?
Closing the Session /Check-out
At the end of each session, the facilitator should ensure that everyone is comfortable with the results of the session. Give participants a chance to make final comments or express concerns about the results or the process. This helps to ensure that participants leave the session without feeling frustrated and may also improve future group processes. Close the meeting with a discussion of next steps. Discuss the need for and timing of future meetings. Make sure everyone understands the next steps and how follow-up will occur.
Follow-up to the Session
After the visioning session, a small group should compile the results and draft statements for the shared vision and common values. The draft statements should be presented to the visioning group participants (through a follow-up session or through other mechanisms). Participants should be given a chance to make minor adjustments.
Once everyone is satisfied with the vision and values, each should be formally adopted. The statements should then be kept alive through the remainder of the MAPP process. All MAPP materials, such as brochures, leaflets, and reports, should include the statements. References to vision and values statements should be made at the beginning of each MAPP committee meeting.
Tool # 2: Matrix of Organized Participation and Roles within Each Phase of MAPP
http://www.naccho.org/topics/infrastructure/mapp/framework/clearinghouse/upload/Matrix_of_participation.pdf
Checklist
Here you will find a checklist summarizing the main points of the section.
What is MAPP?
__MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Participation) is a joint project of NACCHO (the National Association of County and City Health Officials) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. It is a model for improving community health systems whose mission statement is “Communities achieving improved health and quality of life by mobilizing partnerships and taking strategic action.”
__ MAPP’s guiding principles are:
- Systems thinking
- Dialogue
- Shared vision
- Data
- Partnership
- Strategic thinking
- Celebration of successes
__ MAPP’s six phases are:
- Organize for Success
- Visioning
- The Assessments: Community Themes and Strengths Assessment, Local Public Health System Assessment, Community Health Status Assessment, Forces of Change Assessment.
- Strategic Issues
- Goals/ Strategies
- Action Cycle
Why use MAPP?
__ MAPP uses a participatory process.
__ The MAPP model is based on partnership and collaboration among local public health system partners and the broader community.
__ The MAPP process has been developed using information gleaned from previous planning efforts.
__ MAPP brings to bear four different assessments to get the clearest picture possible of community health issues and systems.
__ The MAPP model includes strategic planning.
__ MAPP helps the community to anticipate and manage change.
__ MAPP focuses on strengthening the local public health system.
__ MAPP increases the visibility of public health in the community.
__ The MAPP process builds public health leadership.
__ MAPP takes a community perspective, with the overall goal of creating a healthy community.
Who should take part in and use the MAPP process?
__ Local and state public health officials and agencies.
__ Health practitioners, administrators, and others who are part of the local public health system.
__ First responders.
__ Local and state elected and appointed officials.
__ Human service organizations.
__ Other community organizations.
__ Public schools, local colleges and universities, and other educational institutions.
__ Faith communities.
__ Businesses.
__ Community members representing the diversity of ages, incomes, and the racial/ethnic mix in the community.
Whenmight you employ a MAPP process?
__ When a current or potential health issue surfaces, either in the media or among health practitioners.
__ When there’s been an issue or crisis that everyone agrees wasn’t handled well.
__ When there’s money available for health systems.
__ When there’s no money available for health systems.
__ When the community is about to build a new health facility.
__ When there’s a government push to reexamine public health or the local health system.
How do you conduct a MAPP process?
__ Understand and use the guiding principles.
Phase 1: Organize for success:
__ Determine the necessity of undertaking the MAPP process.
__ Identify and organize participants.
__ Design the planning process.
__ Design and begin the evaluation process.
__ Determine the resources you’ll need for the planning process.
__ Make sure the community is ready to conduct a successful planning process.
__ Develop a management structure for the process.
Phase 2: Visioning:
__ Identify other visioning efforts and make connections as needed.
__ Design the visioning process and decide how it will be managed.
__ Conduct the visioning process.
__ Formulate vision and values statements.
__ Keep the vision and values alive throughout the MAPP process.
Phase 3: The assessments:
__ The Community Themes and Strengths Assessment
__ The Local Public Health System Assessment – completed using the National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPS) Local Instrument
__ The Community Health Status Assessment
__ The Forces of Change Assessment
Phase 4: Strategic Issues:
__ Brainstorm potential strategic issues.
__ Develop an understanding of why an issue is strategic.
__ Determine the consequences of not addressing the issue.
__ Consolidate overlapping or related issues.
__ Arrange issues into an ordered list.
Phase 5: Goals/Strategies:
__ Develop goals related to the vision and strategic issues.
__ Generate strategy alternatives.
__ Consider barriers to implementation.
__ Consider implementation details.
__ Select and adopt strategies.
__ Draft the planning report.
Phase 6: Action cycle:
__ Organize for action.
__ Develop objectives and establish accountability.
__ Develop action plans.
__ Review action plans for opportunities for coordination.
__ Implement and monitor action plans.
__ Prepare for evaluation.
__ Focus the evaluation design.
__ Gather credible evidence and justify conclusions.
__ Share lessons learned and celebrate successes.
__ Keep at it indefinitely.