Building Healthy Start Grantees' Capacity to Achieve Collective Impact: Lessons from the Field

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Health Initiatives
• Health Equity

Background:

• Healthy Start program aims to reduce infant mortality through community engagement.
• Collective Impact (CI) framework adopted in 2014 to enhance collaboration.
• Need for capacity-building in implementing CI strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• Describe a peer-focused capacity-building strategy for CI implementation.
• Introduce key elements of CI to Healthy Start grantees.
• Report preliminary findings on grantee progress using CI.

Main Methods:

• Collective Impact Peer Learning Networks (CI-PLNs) involved virtual and face-to-face meetings.
• Evaluations included facilitated discussions, routine surveys (pre, interim, post), and in-depth interviews.
• Focus on CI pre-conditions, conditions, and grantee accomplishments.

Main Results:

• Participants reported increased knowledge and confidence in applying CI.
• CI-PLNs provided a platform for peer sharing of challenges and successes.
• Grantees expressed a desire for continued CI implementation and learning.

Conclusions:

• CI-PLNs successfully increased grantee understanding of CI and focused implementation efforts.
• Anticipated development of sustainable infrastructure for common agendas and shared measures.
• Emphasis on ongoing, meaningful community member inclusion in Healthy Start initiatives.