Coalition-Building Toolbox

A coalition is an alliance of diverse groups joined together for the purpose of affecting a specific change or achieving a goal that they would be otherwise unable to realize as independent individuals or separate entities. Within the EMSC community, a coalition is a network of support that may extend beyond an EMSC Advisory Board or Committee to encompass both formal and informal relationships of engagement and collaboration.  For EMSC projects, coalitions can serve as the baseline foundation for improved pediatric emergency medical services, regardless of individual project aims. 

EMSC leaders can achieve substantial and enduring collaborative results by committing to coalition building and appropriately engaging a sufficient number of key stakeholders.   The ultimate outcome of coalition development is improved health care for children, ensuring that coalition constituents receive the highest possible dividends on their collective investment in EMSC.

HEALTHCARE PROVIDER RESOURCES

EMSC National Resource Center

• Reaching Out: A Guide to Effective Coalition Building. Developed by the EMSC National Resource Center, this guide focuses on coalition building as part of an EMSC project's strategic plan for growth, impact, and longevity. The guide defines coalition building, discusses desired outcomes of successful coalitions, and suggests the types of state, regional, and local organizations and individuals that can provide EMSC projects with beneficial linkages. Information on how to create outreach plans and identify assets and/or liabilities –  as well as a checklist of coalition building tips, a bibliography, and a model EMSC outreach plan – is also included. (2001)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Coalition-Building Primer. Provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this document consists of basic information on the definition, capabilities, functioning, membership, structure, and leadership of coalitions. (2007)

Environmental Protection Agency 

• Toolkit – Outreach Materials: Coalition Building and Maintenance.  Developed by the Environmental Protection Agency in concert with the US Department of Transportation, the attached document is a section of the “It All Adds Up” Resource Toolkit specifically addressing coalition development.  It contains portions that focus on the benefits and challenges of coalition formation as well as the steps and processes involved in coalition creation and maintenance.  This resource also describes mechanisms by which coalition members can enhance existing programs (August 2006).

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• Community How-To Guide. Developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this guide focuses on coalition building strategies for the purposes of promoting prevention but can also be used as a generalized tool for facilitating coalition building efforts and continued engagement. (March 2001) 

Ohio State University Extension Online Fact Sheets

• Building Coalitions Fact Sheet. This fact sheet contains links to a wide variety of resources for coalition development.  Featured content addresses: facilitator roles and responsibilities, coalition functioning and communications, resources for fundraising and grant-writing, evaluation strategies, needs assessment, and community mobilization, among other topics. (Accessed January 2010)

University of Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resources

• Coalition Building. This section of the Clearinghouse’s website offers links to resources from the University of Minnesota, the University Florida, and the Ohio State University, all of which are focused on approaches to successful coalition building.  Linked sites provide information on coalition brainstorming, development, and leadership, as well as strategies for recruiting members, overcoming obstacles, communicating, and marketing. (Accessed January 2010)

Prevention Institute

• Developing Effective Coalitions: An Eight-Step Guide. Written by the Prevention Institute, this tool guides advocates and practitioners through the process of coalition building, from analyzing program objectives to recruiting the right individuals, anticipating resource needs, and convening the coalition, to maintaining coalition viability over time and making improvements through evaluation. (2002)

The Community Tool Box

• Coalition Building I: Starting a Coalition. Listed under Part B, Chapter 5, Section 5 in the Table of Contents on the main Community Tool Box site, this guide provides resources and information on the “who, what, when, where, and why” principles of coalition building. Available resources include: step-by-step guidelines, examples, checklists of points to review, and training materials. (2010)

Tom Wolff & Associates: Coalition Building for Healthy Communities

• Coalition Building Tip Sheets. See the upper right hand corner of this web page and click on “Free Resources” to access the Coalition Building Tip Sheets developed by Tom Wolff & Associates consulting.  The two-page PDF documents included here summarize key points on issues associated with collaborative approaches.  The tip sheets also address principles of success, mechanisms for program evaluation, barriers and strategies for overcoming obstacles, advocacy, and grassroots engagement within coalitions. (Accessed January 2010) 

EXAMPLE PRACTICES

Wisconsin EMSC: Pediatric Equipment for Ambulances. For more than 10 years, Wisconsin EMSC has collaborated successfully with its state chapter of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), the world’s oldest and largest volunteer organization for women.  Their most recent collaboration focused on EMSC Performance Measure #66b, which addresses the percentage of basic life support and advanced life support patient care units in the State/Territory that have the essential pediatric equipment and supplies. 

On behalf of EMSC in Wisconsin, the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC-WI) is working to fund pediatric “jump kit” bags – specialized bags that put critical pediatric emergency supplies together in one place – for Wisconsin’s 1,200 ambulances.  Since the initiative’s inception in 2002, the jump kit bags are now carried on 285 of Wisconsin’s 446 EMS departments (64%).  More than $287,000 in donations have also been made to date.  The UP-WI Kiwanis Clubs pledged its support to the Pediatric Jump Kit for Ambulances Special Project in 2007.  Recently, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin wrote a letter of support for this project.

Illinois EMSC: Facility Recognition. In 1995, the Illinois EMSC project convened its first task force to consider development of a facility recognition program.  Broad-based support for the program came initially from the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Illinois College of Emergency Physicians, the Illinois Council of Emergency Nurses Association, the Illinois Hospital Association, and the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, among other organizations. 

Representation from these organizations has been and remains today an integral part of the process, as the facility recognition program was created with input from a diverse EMSC work group with the overall goal “to decrease childhood morbidity and mortality by ensuring the availability of appropriately trained personnel, along with appropriate emergency department resources and capabilities in order to effectively manage the critically ill and injured child.”

In 1998, the program was piloted and a year later statewide implementation began.  The Illinois’ facility recognition program addresses EMSC Performance Measure #66c, which requires the existence of a statewide, territorial, or regional standardized system that recognizes hospitals that are able to stabilize and/or manage pediatric emergencies.  By garnering widespread “buy-in” for the program early on, this EMSC project was able to develop and implement its program while remaining optimistic that it would be well received by those upon whom it had the most immediate impact.  This collaborative approach proved essential to ensuring successful implementation of the program.

Florida EMSC: Advisory Committee. Florida’s EMSC project project has a long history of support from a wide range of individuals and groups.  Over the years, the project has benefited from its collaborative efforts with other state agencies and organizations, including the Florida College of Emergency Physicians, Children's Medical Services, the Florida Pediatric Society, the Florida Hospital Association, the Florida Committee on Trauma, and many more. These partners committed themselves to making Florida a model EMSC state.

To meet that end, the Florida EMSC project and its greater coalition recognized the importance of establishing EMSC permanently in Florida.  In working to achieve an “institutionalized” EMSC program within the state, the coalition also met the EMSC National Performance Measure requiring establishment of an EMSC Advisory Committee within the State/Territory. 

Through the efforts of the coalition, Florida now has a legislatively mandated EMSC Advisory Committee and in-kind support from the Bureau of EMS by way of a permanent EMSC coordinator, a program specialist, and other administrative personnel, as well as the secondary benefits of greater integration within the EMS system through changes in committee structure, reporting procedures, and improved communication.  In addition, the coalition is working to address a second EMSC National Performance Measure that requires the adoption of requirements by the State/Territory for pediatric emergency education for the recertification of paramedics.  The group is making progress toward this goal through collaboration with the EMS Advisory Council Education and Legislative Committees to draft language that would require a minimum of two pediatric continuing education hours for recertification.

FAMILY AND CAREGIVER RESOURCES

EMSC National Resource Center

• Getting Started, Staying Involved: An EMSC Toolkit for Family Representatives. Developed by the EMSC National Resource Center, this toolkit is designed to assist parents and caregivers in their efforts to support the EMSC Program at the national and state levels. The guide contains information about the history of the U.S. emergency medical services system. It provides background information about the establishment, current status, and future endeavors of the EMSC Program and its Family Advisory Network. It addresses the importance of EMSC performance measures and how family representatives contribute to the success of each measure. Most importantly, this guide provides tips one everything needed to help family representatives get started and stay involved in the planning and implementation of state EMSC activities. (Spring 2008)

• Working with Families to Enhance Emergency Medical Services for Children. Developed by emergency care professionals and families who have experienced emergency care firsthand, this guide is intended to help state and local emergency medical services agencies, EMSC grantees, hospitals, and family advocates explore the concept of family-centered care and apply it to pediatric emergency medical services. Use it as a framework for facilitating discussion and collaboration. Practical information and tools for conducting internal family-centered assessments are also included. (April 2001)

Institute for Family-centered Care

• Partnering with Patients and Families to Design a Patient- and Family-centered Healthcare System: Recommendations and Promising Practices. This publication draws on the deliberations and recommendations stemming from an expert panel convened by the Institute for Family-centered Care.  It focuses on forming partnerships to develop a shared vision and plan of action for improving healthcare by advancing the practice of family and patient centered care. The document highlights best practices from hospitals, ambulatory programs, medical and nursing schools, healthcare funding organizations, patient and family led organizations, and other entities working with patients and families to enhance the quality, safety, and experience of health care. (April 2008)

Family Voices

• Parents Partnering with Managed Care Plans. Family Voices, a national grassroots network that serves children and youth with special health care needs and their families, developed this pamphlet as a starting point for families, health care professionals, and health care payers to share perspectives on medical services for children with special healthcare needs.  The goal is to help families and plans learn to work together and collaborate effectively to improve medical care for this vulnerable population.  (April 2002)

Pacer Center

• Parent Leadership in Special Education: Resources. Developed by the Pacer Center, through its mission to encourage parents to help one another better serve the needs of disabled children and their families, these linked documents and publications provide resources for parents interested in participating on local advisory councils, collaborating with state and local agencies, exploring interagency opportunities, partnering with schools, and influencing public policy. (2009)