The Center for Public Policy and Health (CPPH) team has recently concluded a seven-month project to assess the status of public health in Miami County, Ohio.
Under the guidance of Rob Kollin, MSM, MS, lecturer in the College of Public Health and CPPH affiliate, public health graduate students Karan Lamba, Erica Kriausky, and Annika Norton assisted with the completion of the Miami County Community Health Assessment (CHA). Their efforts were supported by Center Director Deric Kenne, Ph.D., and project coordinator Diana Patel, Ph.D. The team employed the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships 2.0 (MAPP) framework developed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to report the public health needs in Miami County while simultaneously enhancing their professional credentials.
Kollin emphasized the importance of the CHA, stating, “The community health assessment is a unique opportunity for us to truly impact the residents of Miami County. There are a variety of steps we are following through the MAPP process that allows us to understand what the needs of the communities are, typically around health and equity,” said Kollin.
“Not only does it allow us to impact the health of the county, it helps us to connect with a variety of stakeholders throughout the project, and brings the classroom into the real world, giving students a great opportunity to gain real-life experience,” continued Kollin.
Lamba, Kriausky, and Norton, who had not previously engaged with a public health department, acknowledged the considerable experience gained from the hands-on project. The group acted as facilitators during the third steering committee meeting for the Miami County CHA and actively engaged with the community by distributing flyers to promote participation in the CHA survey.
“I worked as a scribe during steering committee meetings, ensuring that we documented vital information,” explained Kriausky, who graduated in summer 2024. “In addition, I provided thoughtful questions that guided discussion. During the writing process, I focused on the ‘Built Environment and Neighborhood’ as well as the ‘Community Context’ topics,” she added.
Lamba explained steps taken by the team in administering and analyzing community survey data.
“We worked on analyzing all the data we’ve collected so we can give Miami County residents a good image of what the public health situation is, what the strengths in the community are, and recommend areas that could be improved,” said Lamba.
With the conclusion of the CHA project, Lamba continues to expand his professional experience. During the final months of his last semester, he is assisting Miami County in developing their Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) based on the data obtained from the team's assessment.
Norton, who also anticipates graduating in December 2024, expressed her enthusiasm for applying the skills acquired during the project to her future career in public health. She said, “By working with Miami County and the Kent State team, I learned both my individual working style and how to work as a team, which are invaluable to completing projects. In my future career being able to obtain primary and secondary data to drive and validate policy is fundamental,” Norton concluded.