Hancock County Coalition for Community Health Research 09/12/01 MINUTES

Attending: Doug Michael (Facilitator), Jim Fisher (note taker), Helena Peterson, Donna Madonna, Jenny Gott, Leslie Johnson (time keeper)

The purpose of this meeting was to review the growing number of research projects, identify a Research Leader, review research designs, instruments and plan next steps.

1. Assessment Protocol

- Research Leader - Helena Peterson

- This protocol is an overview of research goals and strategies, numerous appendices will describe the specific methods. The numbers which follow in this outline refer to some of the specific research elements.

- Discussion of Community - School relationship and title - group concluded that while schools are a part of the community, it may be necessary to refer to a Community/School alliance in order to emphasize the importance of schools in this program.

- Barbara Peppey would like to know how to tie the school and community data together

- focus groups in schools will permit comparable questions to go to schools and community

2. Dialogue Guide data collection

- Research Leader - Jim

- Jim will contact Christine Lyman

- The group began to build a list of responses to the questions, but tabled this activity due to time limitations.

- Action: Doug, Barbara, Donna and Helena will go through their interviews and email lists of responses to Jim

- Action: Jim will continue to elaborate the database, incorporating codes as needed

3. Focus Group Research - Barbara Peppey and Sarah Dooling have prepared a short description of focus group research.

- Research Leader - Barbara Peppey

- Dialogue Guide individual and group interviews will be included in the focus group

- Dialogue Guide may be a component of focus group research, but is less structured

- Question: What kinds of research do we do with focus groups

- Action: Focus Group outline should be sent to all of the school coordinators

4. School survey research - SHC's met and are working on sampling and questions

- Research Leader - Susan Berry

- Action: SHC's will meet with Jim 9/20

- Jim will call Bill Primmerman - Dept. of Education, works with Cathy Wilbur after he speaks with Susan Berry

5. Coalition process evaluation

- Research Leader - Doug Michael

- Steve Rose would do most of the work

- Helena questioned the need. The Muskie format (Wilder Foundation) may be sufficient. (Is this the "Maine Children's Cabinet Integrated Case Management Initiatives Collaboration Assessment Form?"

- Action: Doug will look into moving the meeting to 9/20 at 1:00 p.m.

6. Eight Countries

- Research Leader - Jenny Gott

- Patti Leland-Hanson and Jenny are working together on this program

- Jim raised the issue of attrition from the program

- most data collection will be for people who complete the program

- how will we gather input from people for whom the program did not work

- some information will be gained by comparing number of registrants with number of finishers.

- may need to conduct follow-up interviews with a sample of participants.

- Prize will be awarded to a person randomly selected who completes the eight week program

- Action: Jim will create a database for the evaluation form.

7. State Mandated Community/Environment Indicators

- Research Leader - Jim Fisher

- Jim described some the States recent design of indicators with 10 to 20 measures feeding into each of the 5 or 6 major indicators.

- Group discussed methods for gathering information from the towns

- State will be sending out revised indicators in the coming weeks

- Action: Jim will develop a data package that will facilitate data collection following the State's revision.

8. Business / Community Assessment

- Research Leader - Helena Peterson

- Helena handed out a summary of questions for business owners and municipal leaders

- Helena stressed that this is not intended to be a research document, but rather a conversation guide.

- Doug - not likely to have resources to implement this until next spring

- Barbara - want to have questions that fit all businesses, not just retail

- Helena and Barbara may not have time to implement this in the short run either

- Action: Helena will continue to modify the list of questions

October 10th 8:30 am at DE Health Services

Project Leaders - action plans for their areas

- Jim to add Leslie Johnson - ljsj@midmaine.com - 374-3233 to list serve and the web site

- Jenny - provide Jim with school contact information

- Jim will report out committee activities at Wednesdays HCCCH meeting.