Integration of Quality Improvement and Evaluation Into a Community Engagement Model

Involving individuals with lived experience in the evaluation process is essential. Little research or evaluation to date has assessed member perceptions of their participation in this process over time, and how those findings were used to adjust community engagement activities. In July 2020, a philanthropic funder collaborative funded the implementation of a racial equity and COVID-19 initiative in Chicago. A community engagement model was implemented to incorporate community voice and assist in guiding the evaluation of the initiative. The model included a community advisory council composed of members living and working in Black and Brown communities experiencing the highest rates of COVID-19 mortality in Chicago.

A longitudinal mixed-methods evaluation was conducted to understand implementation of the community engagement model.

Data were collected from community advisory council members in a biannual online survey and quality improvement and evaluation interviews from December 2020 to July 2023.

Evaluation interviews revealed that members felt a sense of connectivity with others, but also noted a need for more inclusion of community voice in dissemination efforts and opportunities to engage with initiative funders.

This evaluation of a community advisory council highlights the importance of monitoring individual community members' experiences for short-term quality improvements and multiple evaluation approaches to build a long-term, sustainable community engagement model.