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.
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HEALTHCARE PROVIDER RESOURCES
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EXAMPLE PRACTICES
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FAMILY AND CAREGIVER RESOURCES
More details about this and other family and caregiver resources |
HEALTHCARE PROVIDER RESOURCES
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Reaching Out: A Guide to Effective Coalition Building. Developed by the EMSC National Resource Center, this guide focuses on how to build coalitions; the outcomes of successful coalition building; the individuals and groups to involve; and examples of EMSC state and territory coalition building. 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 ‐ are also included. (Published in 2001, Reviewed in 2011).
Administration for Children and Families
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Capacity Building Toolkits for Faith-Based and Community Organizations. The Administration for Children and Families has created a variety of toolkits to help increase capacity building of individuals, families and communities. The Partnerships: Frameworks for Working Together toolkit provides guidance on key components for effective partnerships, the barriers to successful partnerships, and approaches for forming, managing, and ending partnerships. (2010).
Center for Collaborative Planning
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Workshop: Working Collaboratively. This organization provides a workshop on cultivating environments that fosters broad participation and inspire creative solutions to issues facing our communities. By working collaboratively, community leaders and other stakeholders can gain new insights and learn how to apply collaboration concepts and principles. (Accessed October 2011).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Coalition-Building Primer. This document consists of basic information on the definition, capabilities, functioning, membership, structure, and leadership of coalitions. (Accessed October 2011).
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A Sustainability Planning Guide for Healthy Communities. This guide is a synthesis of science- and practice-based evidence designed to help coalitions, public health professionals, and other community stakeholders develop, implement, and evaluate a successful sustainability plan. (Accessed October 2011).
Environmental Protection Agency
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Coalition Building and Maintenance. Developed by the Environmental Protection Agency in concert with the U.S. Department of Transportation, this 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. (June 2002, Reviewed in 2011).
Genesee County Health Department
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Coalition Building. The Clio Community and the Genesee County Health Department joined forces in a unique partnership to improve their local community health, and as a result created this guidebook to provide a brief and basic introduction to coalition building. (2008).
Michigan Department of Community Health
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Healthy Communities Toolkit. This web-based toolkit has many strategies for communities to work together toward policy and environmental change related to physical activity, healthy nutrition, and smoke-free places. (Accessed October 2011).
Ohio State University Extension Online Fact Sheets
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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 October 2011)
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Collaboration Multiplier. This interactive media tool helps guide an organization to a better understanding of which partners it needs to recruit and how to engage them. The guide also helps organizations that already work together to identify activities to achieve a common goal, to identify missing sectors that can contribute to a solution, and to leverage expertise and resources. (July 2011).
Work Group for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas
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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. (Accessed October 2011).
University of Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resources
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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 October 2011).
EXAMPLE PRACTICES
Wisconsin EMSC: Pediatric Equipment for Ambulances. The 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 to focus on EMSC Performance Measure #73 which addresses the percent of patient care units in the state/territory that have essential pediatric equipment and supplies as outlined in national guidelines.
It was in 2002 the Oconomowoc Junior Woman's Club (OJWC), a local chapter of the national GFWC, and the Wisconsin EMSC Advisory Board identified a gap in pediatric EMS care. Noting a lack of pediatric equipment on ambulances in certain areas of Wisconsin, the two groups created a strategic partnership to fund and place pediatric "Jump Kit" bags – specialized kits that put critical pediatric emergency supplies in one place to help EMS respond to pediatric calls with organized, easily accessible, and properly-sized equipment – on every ambulance in Waukesha County, WI. Today, 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 Wisconsin EMSC program has also provide Jump Kit bags for each of the five Wisconsin Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units and one for the Wisconsin Disaster Medical Response Team (DMRT). The UP-WI Kiwanis Clubs pledged its support to the Pediatric Jump Kit for Ambulances Special Project in 2007 and most recently Children's Hospital of Wisconsin wrote a letter of support for this project.
In Fall of 2011, the EMSC National Resource Center (NRC) and GFWC developed a national strategic partnership to encourage and market the Wisconsin model to other states and territories in an effort to produce similar outcomes. The EMSC NRC encourages Family Advisory Network members to work with their EMSC program mangers to develop the partnerships within their state. This collaborative effort can assist EMSC programs throughout the nation to acquire missing pediatric equipment for their local EMS agencies.
EMSC PIER: Improving Interfacility Transfer in the Pacific Rim. The PIER Region comprises EMSC program managers and partners from the islands of American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas. Collectively, the PIER Region, alongside a multidisciplinary group of healthcare providers and federal and state officials are working together to address the multiplex of issues affecting interfacility/inter-island transfer of patients needing specialty resources.
The group is currently working on a white paper to improve the transfer of pediatric patients in need of specialized medical treatment from the territories to specialty medical centers in Hawaii and the continental United States. Since these islands are geographically isolated from one another, as well as from the Continental U.S., medical resources on these islands are often limited. The critically ill and injured or those requiring specialty care often need to be transferred to access needed services. This is especially true for critically ill and injured children and thus serves as a major challenge impacting positive patient health outcomes of all Pacific Island residents.
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 Illinois EMSC Facility Recognition Program was piloted and a year later statewide implementation began. The Illinois’ facility recognition program addresses EMSC Performance Measures #74 and #75 the percent of hospitals recognized through a statewide, territorial, or regional standardized system that are able to stabilize and/or manage pediatric medical and trauma 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 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’s Education and Legislative Committees to draft language that would require a minimum of two pediatric continuing education hours for recertification.
FAMILY AND CAREGIVER RESOURCES
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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 on everything needed to help family representatives get started and stay involved in the planning and implementation of state EMSC activities. (Spring 2008).
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Families Can Help Improve. Developed by the EMSC National Resource Center, this section on the webpage is dedicated to families and the Family Advisory Network (FAN). This section outlines how families can be involved in activities designed to improve the health care children in emergencies and helps educate ways in which FAN representatives can become involved in their state’s EMSC program.
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FAN Mail. An electronic newsletter that features articles on people, programs, and activities related to family representative participa¬tion in emergency medical care of children activities. (October 2011).
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Webinar and Conference Calls. A series of web-based seminars on the EMSC performance measures (PM) designed specifically for state EMSC family representatives. The goals of the webinars are to educate family representatives about the significance of the measures and to help representatives move each of the measures forward. (October 2011).
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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).
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Public Policy Primer: A Guide on the Legislative Process and Impacting Change at the Federal, State, and Local Levels. This guide will help EMSC grantees navigate the world of public policymaking. Specifically, grantees will learn how Congress is structured, how a federal bill becomes law, and how the EMSC Program fits into the federal decision-making process. Second, grantees will learn how to directly affect change, including how to communicate with elected officials. Although this guide primarily focuses on the federal legislative process, much of the information, tools, and tips are applicable to the state and local policymaking processes. For example, the Nevada EMSC Family Advisory Network (FAN) representative engaged in legislative efforts with her local Safe Kids Coalition to discover the best ways in which to become educated and to identify resources through the legislative process. (May 2010).
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Growing Your Capacity to Engage Diverse Communities. The purpose of this booklet is to provide information about working with community liaisons and cultural brokers towards family and community engagement. This booklet provides knowledge and experiences from family leaders around the country who have shared what they have learned in their efforts to serve the full range of families of children and youth with special health care needs and/or disabilities. (2009).
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Families Partnering with Providers. This booklet provides tips to help families with special needs children build effective partnerships with their child’s health care providers. (February 2007).
Institute for Family-centered Care
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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).
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Parent Leadership in Special Education: Resources.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. (Accessed October 2011).
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Find a Coalition. Safe Kids USA is a nationwide network of organizations working to prevent unintentional childhood injury with more than 360 state and local Safe Kids coalitions. Safe Kids coalition members include policy makers, parents, paramedics, firefighters, and educators that work collaboratively to educate their community and caregivers about preventing child injury and to also help advocate for better laws to protect kids. (Accessed October 2011).
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Engaging Youth in Community Change: Outcomes and Lessons Learned from Sierra Health Foundation's REACH Youth Program. This evaluation report documents the work of seven grantees who build local youth-adult coalitions. These coalitions provided meaningful engagement and leadership opportunities for youth and helped catalyze community and policy change strategies to enhance the overall level of support and opportunity for youth. (November 2010).
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Community-School Partnerships to Support Youth Development. Next to the family, schools are one of the most influential developmental contexts that shape the life chances of youth. This issue brief highlights the importance of schools increasing responsibility of promoting not only intellectual achievement but also civic, social, and physical well-being. (November 2010).
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Engaging Parents in a Community Youth Development Initiative. Engaging parents and family members in their children's lives is critical to youth's success. This issue brief highlights the importance of parent and youth coalitions to help strengthen community cohesion and to build social capital. (November 2010).
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Little Black Book: Coalition Building. Although this handy guide is designed for student organizers and leaders, there are very basic and direct points on coalition building that can be applied to any audience. The guide provides essential organizing skills, illustrated with real-life stories and case studies. (Accessed October 2011).