The Ultimate Alliance

Merging the MAPP and PACE processes in San Antonio

The History of MAPP in San Antonio

1999 San Antonio asked to review MAPP tool

2000 San Antonio selected as a MAPP Demonstration Site

April 2001 MAPP Begins (Organizing for Success)

April 2002 Phase 1 Partnership Development

May 2002 Phase 2 Visioning Completed

October 2002 Phase 3 Assessments Completed

October 2002 Phase 4 Strategic Issues Identified *Alliance For Community Health Formed

February 2004

Phase 5 Goals and Strategies Completed

NOW Phase 6 Action Cycle In Progress

The Six Strategic Issues

• How do we track change?

• How do we affect public policy?

• How do we promote a sense of community?

• How do we assure access to care?

• How do we encourage healthy lifestyles?

• How do we provide a safe environment?

The History of PACE-EH in San Antonio:

• Pilot site for the Pace-EH process in 1997

• Focused on traditional environmental topics in public health, including vector and animal control, food safety, and water quality

• Assessment was qualitative only

The New Vision of PACE-EH in San Antonio:

• Defined community identity as the Community Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC)

• Believes in protecting the community from the environment, while protecting the environment itself

• Focuses on Home Toxics, especially in homes with:• Child-bearing aged women• Pregnant or breast-feeding mothers• Children under 6 years of age.

Two Processes - One Vision:

“ A safe, healthy, and educated community in which all individuals can

achieve their optimum physical, cultural, social, mental, and spiritual health – today, tomorrow, and en el futuro.”

Lesson Learned 1: Capacity…Do you have enough?

• Dedicated Staff per process

• Adequate buy-in from the existing local public health system (as defined by the CDC)

• Strong organizational support

• Monetary and Programmatic Resources

• Limit the number of strategic issues to your capacity

Lessons Learned 2: Define Steps for Moving Forward:

• Need a strong facilitator • Define assets needed for accomplishing

goal(s)• Look for majority rule, not consensus• Set regular meeting schedules and meeting

procedures• Set short-term and long-term goals with

supporting, time-bound, and measurable objectives that act as action steps

Lesson Learned 3: Get Decision-Makers to the Table:• Solicit and recruit the the decision-makers of the

organization you are interested in bringing to the table• Ensure that they can affect monetary resources,

infrastructure, and/or programmatic planning for their organization

• Be ready for the time commitment involved in recruiting these individuals, such as:• Researching their organizational histories and

organizational charts• Meeting with the Decision-Makers face-to-face in order to

gain their investment in your project• Providing them with reinvestment activities over time

Lessons Learned 4: Bring Resources to the Table through Collaboration:

• Seek out other strong community-based organizations and/or public health alliances in your community (both for-profit and non-profit)

• Don’t overlook military programs in your community

• Be willing to EXPLORE ways to collaborate and merge your work with theirs

Lessons Learned 5: Unrestricted Resources Make it Easier:

• Unrestricted resources are direct funding streams that are free of the federal regulations described in the Circulars A-102 and A-122

• Generally these are considered federal gifts, foundation gifts, or private donations / endowments

• These funds allow for marketing events that include entertainment, food, and marketing materials on an unlimited basis within the project budget

• Essential for maintaining LONG-TERM, LOW-TURN OVER, INVESTED committees/coalitions

• If you can’t secure unrestricted resources, get donations

Lessons Learned 6: Create an Identity for your Sub-Committees and

Market Them:

• Develop and easily recognizable logo that symbolizes their long-term goal.

• If possible,supply sub-committee members with logo-marked materials: business cards, shirts, caps, folders, letterhead, etc.

• Result: Investment by sub-committee members, local government, and funding bodies.

Lessons Learned 8: Take it Slow….Absolutely Don’t Rush:

• Set a timeline, but make it flexible

• Don’t move forward until it’s time

• Don’t be afraid to change direction

• Celebrate steps achieved

• If you rush, you risk not only the integrity of the process, but also a sustainable impact on your community

Disadvantages of Using Both Processes Simultaneously:

• Processes don’t happen concurrently

• Takes multiple staff with close, non-competitive, working relationships

• Can be difficult to gain adequate unified organizational support

• Securing unrestricted funds might prove fruitless

Advantages of Using Both Processes Simultaneously:

• Greater impact in the end• Gives credibility to your work –both inside the

group(s) and out• Greater visibility at the local, state, and national

level• Allows for more effective leveraging of resources• Bridges the environmental health and public

health programming / infrastructure• PACE-EH process gives direction to MAPP’s

strategic issues

CHEC Video Presentation