University-Community Partnership to Enhance Public Health Communication

Objective The Context of Communicating Care Communicating health information across diverse populations is critical to improving public health and sustaining health-related practices within a community. In this context, successful collaborations can provide models for effectively sharing essential information in other communities. This panel examines a case where two entities partnered to create visual and written materials for conveying health information to different underserved populations in a rural and economically disadvantaged region (Lincoln Parish, located in north central Louisiana). Introduction A Case of Effective Community-Based Collaborations For this case, the Visual Integration of Science through Art (VISTA) at Louisiana Tech University (Tech) partnered with the non-profit Lincoln Health Foundation to produce image-intensive communication materials for certain local populations. The specific audience was undereducated, indigent, non-native English speaking communities in the Parish – a population that often cannot readily rely on text-based resources for information. For the project, students enrolled in Advanced Digital Painting, Studio Art Internships, or Usability and User Experience Design classes at Tech collaborated with representatives from the Lincoln Health Foundation to Conduct research on the communication expectations and preferences of the target audience Identify the best methods for sharing information on sensitive health issues with the members of this community Develop image-based brochures, website content, and illustrations to convey health information to these populations These final products students produced included illustrations depicting the health complications associated with diabetes and informational brochures on preventative practices associated with sexually transmitted diseases. In creating this content for the Lincoln Health Foundation, the participants created a model for how community health organizations, educators, and students can collaborate to develop informational products for specific local communities. This proposed panel presentation examines the dynamics of forming such partnerships and collaborating to address the needs of the community population. Description The Dynamics of the Case In this initial pilot, there are two separate but complementary projects where the community partner identified an area of need and Tech students, under supervision of faculty, created either visual images or website and brochure content to improve communication. Specifically, students identified and tested material for dissemination in the community by: Identifying prospective solutions/materials that can address this issue Researching the intended audience to determine the solution(s) that would work best Creating materials for addressing this need (and based on research of audience expectations) Testing these materials with members of the related audience Presenting suggested materials/solutions to community partners Discussing mechanisms the community partner could use to disseminate this information to the intended audience The objective of the model was to provide students with hands-on, real-life experiences in Project planning Project management User research Product development Product planning Illustration as a form of communication Understanding audience Crossing language and cultural barriers The community partner, in turn, received a needed resource developed specifically to meet the needs of a given population within that community. How the Moderator Intends to Engage Audience Discussions The Focus of the Proposed Panel The proposed panel will be comprised of members of each of the groups involved in this project. The members of the panel will discuss how the partnership has worked by explaining project planning and related interactions involved in The projects that students have participated in The usability of the products created The impact of these products on the community The planning of future projects that will continue to impact communities beyond Lincoln Parish In so doing, panel members will overview the ways in which the participating individuals and agencies approached the processes of identifying problems and solutions and fostering and maintaining collaborative relationships during the course of a project in which the dynamics regularly changed. Panel Participants The panel who will lead a discussion on this type of University-Community health partnership includes: Faculty Representative of Studio Art Faculty Representative of Biological Sciences Faculty Representative of Technical Communication/Usability Testing Representative of community partner organization Student participant in the project Each participant will comment on how the related organization approached this overall project, interacted with other collaborators, and engaged in collaborative decision making and problem solving throughout the overall process. Benefits for Attendees Through examining this case of collaboration in this way, the overall presentation will discuss strategies attendees can use to Establish the heath-communication needs to certain local communities Devise solutions for creating effective materials to meet this need Assess the efficacy of such materials with divers communities Identify and collaborate with local partners to address such needs effectively In this way, the presentation will provide attendees with strategies they can apply to address the communication dynamics and community needs of their own local context(s).