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Impactful Community Engaged Planning (ICEP) for the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD)

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Title of Project: Impactful Community Engaged Planning (ICEP) for the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD)

Project Period: July 2023-June 2026

Principle Investigator (PI): Mary Beth Dunkenberger, Deputy Director, VTIPG

Co-PIs:

  • Lara Nagle, Community-Based Research Manager, VTIPG
  • Liz Allen, Senior Program Research Associate and Data Specialist, VTIPG
  • Laura York, Public Health Program and Policy Research Associate, VTIPG
  • Bryce Hoflund, Research Scientist, VTIPG

Graduate Research Assistants:

  • Quinn Richards, Masters Student in Public Health
  • Amin Farzaneh, PhD Student in Planning, Governance, and Globalization

Funding Source: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

Key Community Partners: Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD)

Key University Partners: Center for Communicating Science; Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science

Description of Project:

VTIPG is working with RCAHD on a three-year process to improve the health district’s community engagement strategies and data collection, and to make these strategies part of ongoing operations with the goal of continually assessing and refining service delivery.

Project Goals:

  • Research and implement trauma-informed and evidence-based practices for engaging populations with specific health needs, including sexually-active adolescents, people who use drugs (PWUD), and individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+.
  • Develop and implement strategic engagement plans with and for RCAHD staff with input from community members, clients, and target populations.
  • Co-facilitate engagement activities, collect and analyze data, and set up formal data reporting for continuous quality improvement.