Consumer participation in community health programs: a comparative analysis of two programs

Two model inner city health-care delivery systems are examined in terms of their organizational structure, the role of the consumer within them, their strategies for change, and their ultimate impact and effectiveness. A group practice prepayment plan in Baltimore had consumers on its governing board and, in alliance with a powerful medical institution, successfully organized around political, economic, and social issues. An Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) grant-supported, neighborhood health center in Washington, D.C. was less effective due to its lack of community representation in the decision-making process. The Baltimore model influenced the federal, state, and local governments, while the Washington, D.C. model had stronger local, than national, effects.