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Refining the Research Infrastructure at Community Health Centers
- Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 8, Issue 1, Spring 2014
- pp. 61-65
- 10.1353/cpr.2014.0011
- Article
- Additional Information
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Background: Community health centers (CHC) often partner with academics to conduct community-based participatory research (CBPR). Because of their research expertise, academic partners are usually the principal investigators (PIs); however, moving the home base of research to the community can prove beneficial to the CHC and its community.
Objectives: The purpose of this paper was to discuss the lessons learned after conducting a CBPR project and to share identified solutions.
Methods: A longitudinal perinatal risk reduction intervention study was conducted with primiparous Native Hawaiian women receiving prenatal care at a CHC. The intervention incorporated home visiting, social support, and lactation management.
Results: Primary lessons learned from this participatory process can be grouped into infrastructure, human resources, and recruitment.
Conclusions: Sharing lessons learned can serve to expand a CHC’s involvement in research, and provide a venue for discovering innovative and viable community and practice based approaches to solving health disparity challenges.