The Ultimate Alliance

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The Ultimate Alliance

• Merging the MAPP and PACE processes in San Antonio

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The History of MAPP in San Antonio
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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?

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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

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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.

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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.

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Lesson Learned 1 CapacityDo 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

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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

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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

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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)
• Dont overlook military programs in your
  community
• Be willing to EXPLORE ways to collaborate and
  merge your work with theirs

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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 cant secure unrestricted resources, get
  donations

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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.

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Lessons Learned 8 Take it Slow.Absolutely Dont
Rush

• Set a timeline, but make it flexible
• Dont move forward until its time
• Dont 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

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Disadvantages of Using Both Processes
Simultaneously

• Processes dont 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

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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 MAPPs
  strategic issues

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CHEC Video Presentation