New medical school engages rural communities to conduct regional health assessment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Engaging communities in authentic partnerships is increasingly accepted as best practice in both medicine and public health, despite the many barriers to doing so. New medical schools have an opportunity to incorporate community engagement into their very foundation. In rural northeast Pennsylvania, a new medical school used a regional health assessment to engage community partners across the 16 counties it serves. METHODS A community health advisory board guided the development and implementation of a key informant focus group methodology. Twenty-three focus groups were held. Themes were generated using content analysis involving 21 observers along with the principal investigators. RESULTS A total of 221 representatives of 195 agencies from across the region participated. Twelve themes relating to needs were discussed in more than 75% of focus groups. The findings revealed barriers to improving health in the region, including lack of access to preventive services, to primary care and specialty providers, and to basic mental health services. Consistent themes related to strengths and expectations for the new medical school also emerged. CONCLUSIONS Holding focus groups across the region allowed community service providers to connect to a new medical school, despite distances in the rural region. Partnerships with community agencies and providers are evolving. Findings from the study regarding needs and strengths in rural communities have been incorporated into the school's curriculum and research agenda. Dissemination efforts have focused on communicating findings to community partners in formats and venues that are useful for them.