Session #1
Goal: The goal of Session #1 is to secure buy-in from participants in the
Community Health Participatory Planning process.
Sample Agenda
Welcome: Coordinator
Introductions: Everyone should introduce themselves by stating their name, something
about their job if they are employed, health interests, and perhaps who invited them to the
CHPP or why they are attending the CHPP. Give each participant 1-2 minutes to talk
about themselves. This is an important first step to building group cohesion.
Brief overview of CHPP: Explain the 12 week process for both personal and
community health, the purpose of putting together and implementing a plan to enhance
the health in the community, the health screening, how information is provided to help
them achieve a desired lifestyle but that all changes are voluntary, how no exercise
classes and no special diets are required, how input from and commitment from everyone
is essential, and explain how one hour a week of participation will lead to results. Share
your dream about what the group can achieve.
Discussion: Discussion of the local situation, desire to do something about it, barriers
(why nothing has been done to date), and how nothing is going to happen unless WE do
it.
Program schedule: Distribute the program schedule and explain it.
Brainstorming: Ask all to join in the effort and ask the question, “Who is not here
that should be?” Generate another list of community members to invite to the remaining
sessions.
Health profile or community survey: Completion of personal health profile or community
survey if desired). See Appendix D for a copy of the Healthy Lifestyles Questionnaire
and Appendix E for a copy of a social capital survey. Remember that any assessment or
survey results should be tabulated before Session 3 and utilized either for community or
personal motivation. Do not burden people with more paper and pencil busy work unless
your intentions are clear and the results of which will be reported to the group in a timely
fashion.
| We also recommend use of the Health Path health risk appraisal, a 75-question, computer-analyzed, paper-and-pencil assessment that focuses on health risk behaviors and traits. This tool can be obtained from Partners in Corporate Health (304-599-6981). It is a nominally priced assessment and can give pre and post assessment of personal health status. Partners can also process a group assessment that can be used for emphasis and serve as a microcosm of the community for dramatic effect. |
Exercise: Prepare an agenda for your first session. Assign people to different parts of the agenda. Use times (to the minute) to identify who will do what and when they will do it. Be sure to allow ample time for introductions. Introductions are an important first step in building group cohesion. What? Who? 6:00*___________________________________________________________________ 6:10___________________________________________________________________ 6:15___________________________________________________________________ 6:20___________________________________________________________________ 6:25___________________________________________________________________ 6:30___________________________________________________________________ 6:35___________________________________________________________________ 6:40___________________________________________________________________ 6:45___________________________________________________________________ 6:50___________________________________________________________________ 6:55___________________________________________________________________ *an example, beginning hour is flexible |
Session #2
Goal: The goal of Session #2 is to complete the initial health screenings.
Session #2 is the all-important health screening that is repeated in the next-to-final Session for evaluative purposes. The screening must be well organized and professionally implemented. This becomes even more important because the screening occurs so early in the CHPP. If the participants are not treated with the utmost professionalism they will view the process as less able to achieve the goals you have enthusiastically espoused at the previous meeting and during recruitment. Information on how to run a professional screening can be obtained from Bill Reger at West Virginia University (304-293-0763), your local university, Bureau for Public Health, and/or your local hospital. Please note that screenings with lipid profile is a budget item. You may be able to arrange for the local hospital to conduct the blood testing and local nurses or health students to do the actual screening. They may donate some or all of the time but the individual lipid profiles will probably involve a charge. This must be worked out in advance.
Include in the screening: physiologic measures of weight, height, blood pressure, resting heart rate, and a cardiovascular blood panel (total, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose).
This screening provides a profile of individual (and community) risks and behaviors. The health screenings are not mandatory for participation. However, they are a powerful motivator for personal lifestyle change. For this reason, we highly recommend it. With timely individual results participants can take specific action to make changes in their own lives. In the next to final session, the screenings can be repeated and changes can be noted in the physical findings, and also in the behavior and attitudinal aspects.
If your CHPP does not include health screenings you will probably want to reduce the number of sessions to 10. Your Session #2 will focus on a dimension of a targeted health behavior, see Sessions #3-6 for a discussion of content.
Session #3
Goal: The goal of Session#3 is to distribute and discuss the results of the individual health screenings.
Session #3 commences with the distribution of the results of the health screenings to each individual. These are confidential documents and must be treated as such. The presenter (local physician/nurse or professor in a health-related field) reviews the parameters of the various measures, and interprets the overall (but not individual) results. The group discusses/questions the results. Members are encouraged to take a serious look at their results and to consider making changes in their lifestyle consistent with their own perceived needs and interests. Explain that future sessions will include information to help achieve desired lifestyle changes. All changes, however, are voluntary. Explain that no exercise classes are held as part of this CHPP and no special diets are required.
Important note – Provide the opportunity for a health professional to review the results and discuss any dangerously high numbers with any individual for whom this is appropriate. Screenings often find health concerns that require attention. |
Session #4
Goal: The goal of Sessions #4 and #5 is to provide participants with health-related information and to address community-wide health issues.
The session will provide a supportive setting for participants to learn more about health issues, to learn more about each other, and to become empowered (via information and experience with each other and professional speakers) to address community-wide and personal health issues.
Sample Agenda
5 Minutes - Assessment of participants’ knowledge about a specific health topic or thoughts on their personal health goals and progress (led by coordinator)
20 Minutes - Overview of a specific health topic (led by the designated local speaker.)
5 Minutes - Questions and Answers with the Speaker.
20 minutes - Small group interactions about the specific health topic (initiated by the speaker.)
10 minutes - Wrap-up and large-group discussion (led by coordinator and speaker)
Sample Topics |
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Session #5
Goal: The goal of Sessions #4 and #5 is to provide participants with health-related information and to address community-wide health issues.
The session will provide a supportive setting for participants to learn more about health issues, to learn more about each other, and to become empowered (via information and experience with each other and professional speakers) to address community-wide and personal health issues.
Sample Agenda
5 Minutes - Assessment of participants’ knowledge about a specific health topic or thoughts on their personal health goals and progress (led by coordinator)
20 Minutes - Overview of a specific health topic (led by the designated local speaker.)
5 Minutes - Questions and Answers with the Speaker.
20 minutes - Small group interactions about the specific health topic (initiated by the speaker.)
10 minutes - Wrap-up and large-group discussion (led by coordinator and speaker)
Sample Topics |
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Session #6
Goal: The goal of Sessions#6 is to provide participants with health-related information and to address community-wide health issues and also to begin to identify community needs and issues for the Task Forces that will be established in Session #7.
The session will provide a supportive setting for participants to learn more about health issues, to learn more about each other, and to become empowered (via information and experience with each other and professional speakers) to address community-wide and personal health issues.
Sample Agenda
5 Minutes - Assessment of participants’ knowledge about a specific health topic or thoughts on their personal health goals and progress (led by coordinator)
20 Minutes - Overview of a specific health topic (led by the designated local speaker.)
5 Minutes - Questions and Answers with the Speaker.
15 minutes - Small group interactions about the specific health topic (initiated by the speaker.)
15 minutes - Wrap-up and large-group discussion (led by coordinator and speaker) focusing on which community needs and issues are candidates for the “task forces” to be established in Session # 7.