Expanding the delivery of clinical preventive services through community collaboration: the SPARC model

Population-based rates of adult vaccinations and cancer screenings are low, with less than 40% of older adults up to date with routinely recommended prevention services. Delivery rates are lower still in poor and minority communities.

During the past 10 years, Sickness Prevention Achieved through Regional Collaboration (SPARC), a New England-based nonprofit agency, has developed a promising model for increasing community-wide delivery of prevention services. However, the SPARC model has not been tested in communities elsewhere. In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention facilitated a partnership between SPARC and the Aging Services division of the Atlanta Regional Commission to evaluate the program's replicability.

SPARC coalitions involving local public health agencies, hospitals, social service organizations, and advocacy groups were established in two counties of the region, with the Atlanta Regional Commission providing regional coordination. Using the SPARC model, the coalitions planned, marketed, and implemented community-based activities to deliver adult screenings and vaccinations.

During a 3-week pilot phase, SPARC clinics were held in central Atlanta at three senior housing facilities, a local fire station, and a charter middle school, delivering 353 prevention services to 314 residents. In Fayette County, 634 people received influenza vaccinations on Election Day at SPARC clinics located near 10 polling places.

The SPARC model provides a practical framework for improving the community-wide delivery of disease prevention services. The model can galvanize local health services providers to develop successful locally tailored interventions, and the approach is applicable in communities outside of SPARC's home region.