PANEL 4 - Strengthening Outreach: Partnerships and Sustainability Public Health Outreach Forum National Library of Medicine Lister Hill Auditorium Bethesda, Maryland Neil Rambo, NN/LM - Leader Catherine Selden, NLM - Recorder

1.Are some partnerships more effective in reaching the PH community than others? What are the effects of partnerships among different entities? Choose level of staff that is appropriate to project - top level may leave, and technical folks may be more useful and can always be reached by Some PH speak same language as librarians, others do not Common needs vs. lots of money - some partners have funds but need both workers and funders in a partnership

1.Are some partnerships more effective in reaching the PH community than others? What are the effects of partnerships among different entities? Need to keep problems private Need to be aware of time sensitive events Training for searching must meet organization’s other needs - health depts. might have need for data or something else - content must depends on goals

Partnerships help organizations meet their missions - by sharing of resources, etc. Partners come from different places - find common ground, communication among partners is critical, work toward common goals, leadership issues Partners can provide training facilities, or local library may have better computer facilities 2.What are the benefits / pitfalls of partnerships? What strategies can increase the likelihood of successful partnerships?

Decide what level of staff should be a partner - find a champion within organizations Working in concert for content Use an intermediary at a high level Require joint proposals so the library and partner are clear about expectations re: roles, personnel, time and commitment level. 2.What are the benefits / pitfalls of partnerships? What strategies can increase the likelihood of successful partnerships?

Offered service to numerous organizations and some agreed to partner - but often didn’t get feedback Offer specific service to give organizations something to comment on or work from Outreach is “here is service we can do for you.” Partnerships move beyond to finding and fulfilling each other’s needs. Maybe outreach leads to a partnership? 3.How do you develop a partnership? How do you go beyond outreach to partnerships?

If library side does needs and outreach, where is the partnership? Organizational styles (e.g., fast vs. slow moving) - can individuals work together? Initial library outreach with community may improve/inform national PH workforce performance standards and research capability - need to start with a planning or beginning phase that would be targeted to communities 3.How do you develop a partnership? How do you go beyond outreach to partnerships?

AHECs and RMLs may have common goals - how to solidify relationships for more than 1 year of a project? Use allied and community-based organizations for partners NCHS funded state projects - might have some conclusions to share with this group 3.How do you develop a partnership? How do you go beyond outreach to partnerships?

Training needs to be continuous - one shot projects are not partnerships When library goes to state PH depts to see how they work, must try to leave them with skills that are sustainable Ad hoc partnerships vs. short term vs. strategic partnerships that go on for years 4.What strategies ensure sustainable outcomes? How do we define or measure sustainability? Can outcomes be sustained in the absence of a partnership?

Defninition of partnership varies - doing something for someone else to achieve goals vs. working together to achieve mutual goals Must focus on sustainability up front and decide if it is a goal. Initial funders often are start up funders only. Next funders may focus on sustainability. Find an interested liaison 4.What strategies ensure sustainable outcomes? How do we define or measure sustainability? Can outcomes be sustained in the absence of a partnership?

State and local PH depts don’t have libraries, PH training may not be up-to-date - so, if we can’t sustain it, should we do it? Federal government should fund partnerships to improve sustainability We need a different model to fund or different RFPs 4.What strategies ensure sustainable outcomes? How do we define or measure sustainability? Can outcomes be sustained in the absence of a partnership?