Building and Sustaining Community Partnerships: An Organizational Network Analysis in a Low-resource Neighborhood

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Health
• Social Network Analysis

Background:

• The Claremont Healthy Village Initiative (CHVI), established in 2012, is a collaborative effort to address social determinants of health and reduce health disparities.
• CHVI partners include diverse stakeholders such as community centers, schools, healthcare providers, city agencies, and resident leaders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the development and perceived value of inter-organizational collaboration within the CHVI.
• To understand collaboration dynamics from the perspective of multiple participating partners.

Main Methods:

• A community-based participatory research approach was employed, utilizing surveys based on social network theory administered in 2017 and 2018.
• Network analysis measured organizational connectedness, information sharing, and referrals, complemented by stakeholder interviews.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in relationship density and bidirectional partnerships were observed between coalition partners over the study period.
• Referral interactions showed a trend towards the highest density change, indicating improved inter-organizational referrals.
• Higher levels of trust were reported among organizations with a local physical presence.

Conclusions:

• Social network analysis effectively visualized and quantified partner relationships, identifying areas for enhanced collaboration.
• The findings support the CHVI's objectives by reinforcing existing partnerships and highlighting opportunities to improve community-wide connectedness.