Who should be included in the MAPP process?

According to NAACHO’s MAPP User Handbook, completing Phase One answers the following questions:

1 . Who should be included in the MAPP process?

MAPP processes should include the members of a community. Anyone who lives, learns, or play in that community can be a member of MAAP as they know what works well in that community. They might even be called “experts” of that community. They can identify which issues that affect daily living in that community and even offer suggestions or feedback regarding the strategies and corresponding feasibility on implementing action plans. Community members often have useful insights on what supports or undermines healthy living (NACCHO, 2013 p. 8) .

2. Is the community ready to conduct a MAPP process?

            In order for a community to be ready for the MAPP process, there are several factors to consider like;

1. Identified the participants in the process and the groups that they will join into (Core Group, Steering Committee, and Participants in the one more of the phases of the process);
2. Identified the key sponsors of the MAPP process in order to have support on the legitimacy of the effort by public support and endorsements;
3. Has engaged public health systems to participate;
4. Already identified the detailed content of the process and the contribution expected from the participants and the benefits they will get from the initiative;
5. Partnerships and coalitions are already identified, and funding and budget has been established;
6. Support and coaching are already laid out to bridge gaps on the participants
7. What are the resource needs for implementing a MAPP process?

The resource needs for implementing a MAPP process are the following;

1. Staff time;
2. Data collection and information gathering;
3. Meeting space, meals, and refreshments;
4. Travel by partners, community members, staff or consultant;
5. Report production and printing;
6. Consultant cost; and
7. Educational and training materials

In other circumstances, resource needs may also include capacity building, leadership development, and coaching for community participants. Gap on knowledge and skills are a crucial support in decision making processes of MAPP. (NACCHO, 2013 p. 25)

4. How will the community proceed through the MAPP process?

Although there are groups within the MAPP process, the community members can participate in one or more phases of the MAPP and their roles and responsibilities can change throughout the processes depending on their skills and their individual interests (NACCHO, 2013 p. 13). For each participant, the mission of the organization must align with their individual interests.

Step One: Determine the Need

Identify a group of individuals who are interested in facilitating or supporting a MAPP process. Have them answer the following questions and discuss whether the answers are compelling enough to move forward with the process.

• Why should we complete a MAPP process?

A MAPP process outlines a strategic plan in order to address public health concerns and to prioritize healthy living in communities. If a local health department wants to obtain an accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation, MAPP provides a flexible framework tailor fit for that community for users to fulfill accreditation measures and criteria.

• What critical issues do we hope to address?

The critical issues we want to

1. Address are health concerns in the community;
2. Set the tone and establish the role of the public health sector’s leadership in the community; and
3. The role of the community in order to assess the state of its health system and the importance of their participation.

• Who is driving the process?

While the MAPP core group initiate and coordinate collaborative work, the vision defining the collaborative effort is driven by the participation, experiences, and goals of community members and the local public health system partners. (NACCHO, 2013 p. 7)

• What do we want to get out of the MAPP process?

The following are benefits of the MAPP process:

1. Address heath concerns on a community;
2. Improve the overall health and the quality of living on a community;
3. Determine the social factors that affect the health inequities; and
4. Design responses to the health concern of the community.

Step two: Identify and Organize the Participants

1. Students should use the Community Description completed in Week 1 and review the Local Public Health System “Jellybean Diagram” to identify the key organizations that should be invited to be part of the MAPP Steering Committee template under the Week 2 Course Materials. A narrative description of the MAPP Steering Committee should be included within the five-page paper. Refer to Phase One in the MAPP User Handbook for assistance in identifying partner organizations.

The MAPP Steering Committee is the 10- to 20-person group that gives the MAPP process direction. The Steering Committee may serve in a similar function as a board of directors and should be representative of the local public health system (NACCHO, 2013 p.13).

These are people committed to the MAPP process who can be called on to help with specific tasks at particular times. They don’t see themselves as the prime movers of the process but are willing to assume their fair share of responsibility for aspects of it. They may need to be reminded of decisions they’ve made to shoulder parts of the process and are generally responsive to requests from the Core Group members