New Mexico Community Health Councils: Documenting Contributions to Systems Changes

Context: Coalition research has shifted from delineating structures and processes to identifying intermediate, systems changes (e.g., changes in policies) that contribute to longterm community health improvement.

Objective: The University of New Mexico, the New Mexico Department of Health, and community health councils entered a multiyear participatory evaluation process to answer: What actions did health councils take that led to improving health through intermediate, systems changes?

Design: The evaluation system was created over several phases through an iterative, participatory process. Data were collected for councils’ health priority areas (e.g., substance abuse) from 2009 to 2011.

Participants: Twenty-three community health councils participated.

Main Outcome Measures: Intermediate systems changes were measured: 1) networking and partnering, 2) joint planning of strategies, programs, and services, 3) leveraging resources, and 4) policy initiatives.

Results: Health councils reported data for each intermediate outcome by health priority area. Data showed councils identified local public health priorities and addressed those priorities through strengthening networks and partnerships, which lead to the creation and enhancement of strategies, services, and programs. Data also showed councils influenced policies in several ways (e.g., developing policy, identifying new policy, or sponsoring informational forums). Additionally, data showed councils leveraged $1.10 for every dollar invested by the state. When funding was suspended in July 2010, data showed dramatic decreases in activity levels from 2010 to 2011.

Conclusions: The data demonstrate the feasibility and utility of an Internet-based system designed to gather intermediate systems changes evaluation data. This process is a model for similar efforts to capture common outcomes across diverse coalitions and partnerships.