Participatory evaluation of a community–academic partnership to inform capacity-building and sustainability

Abstract

The Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network (TBCCN) was formed as a partnership comprised of committed community based organizations (grassroots, service, health care organizations) and a National Cancer Institute designated cancer center working together to reduce cancer health disparities. Adhering to principles of community-based participatory research, TBCCN’s primary aims are to develop and sustain outreach, training, and research programs that aim to reach medically underserved, multicultural and multilingual populations within the Tampa Bay tri-county area. Using a participatory evaluation approach, we recently evaluated the partnerships’ priorities for cancer education and outreach; perspectives on the partnerships’ adherence to CBPR principles; and suggestions for sustaining TBCCN and its efforts. The purpose of this paper is to describe implementation and outcomes of this participatory evaluation of a community/academic partnership, and to illustrate the application of evaluation findings for partnership capacity-building and sustainability. Our evaluation provides evidence for partners’ perceived benefits and realized expectations of the partnership and illustrates the value of ongoing and continued partnership assessment to directly inform program activities and build community capacity and sustainability.

Health Literacy among Medically Underserved: The Role of Demographic Factors, Social Influence, and Religious Beliefs

“…Briefly, participants were patients receiving primary care services in a community clinic (one of two federally-qualified healthcare centers [FQHCs] or a county Department of Health clinic). The study was completed within the context of the Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network, a community-academic partnership between 28 community organizations and an National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, which was formed to reduce health disparities in the Tampa Bay area (Meade, Menard, Luque, Martinez-Tyson, & Gwede, 2011; Simmons et al, 2015). With the guidance of a community advisory committee, the low-literacy CRC education materials (photonovella and DVD) were developed according to principles of plain language and clear communication using a series of systematic pretesting steps (Doak, Doak, & Root, 1996; U.S.…”

A randomized controlled trial of a multicomponent, targeted, low‐literacy educational intervention compared with a nontargeted intervention to boost colorectal cancer screening with fecal immunochemical testing in community clinics

“…TBCCN is a partnership between 28 community organizations and a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center formed to address health disparities in the Tampa Bay region. 31–33 …”

Development and Validation of the Biomedical Research Trust Scale (BRTS) in English and Spanish

“…TBCCN is a community-academic partnership that aims to reduce cancer disparities by conducting evidence-based research projects guided by community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles, health promotion outreach, and capacity-building and training activities in a tri-county area of Tampa Bay, Florida (Simmons et al, 2015). …”