OUR HEALTHY COMMUNITY RESEARCH

Common ground between community and researchers

What is OHC?

OHC exists to build culturally appropriate spaces for community and faith based organizations. We understand that the trust between community members of color and researchers is broken, which is why we’ve created a collaborative platform, a playbook, and a respectable ecosystem for these two groups to work together in an equitable way. We’ve created Our Healthy Community Research (OHCR), a portal specifically for researchers who are interested and invested in working with underrepresented communities on research projects.

Designed and developed for collaboration

OHCR works in conjunction with our portal for community members, Our Healthy Community Engage (OHCE). In OHCE, community members come together to network with each other, communicate/coordinate with their organization members, receive training, and engage in research projects.

These two portals are two sides of the same coin. As the community member ecosystem grows, the researcher ecosystem has more opportunities for efficient, effective collaboration. As the research ecosystem develops, community members have the opportunity to work on more projects that benefit their communities.

OUR HEALTHY COMMUNITY RESEARCH

What you can expect in OHCR

Access to the valuable, community-generated insights from OHCEngage conversations, collaborations, surveys, and focus groups.

Interviews, events, trainings, and other content specifically designed to increase the cultural competency of healthcare researchers.

Opportunities for short and long-term collaboration on research projects with dedicated, trained community groups called Community Innovation Labs.

Clear and simple ways to shorten the distance between you as a researcher and members of underrepresented communities.

Dynamic, consistent reporting from OHCEngage that can easily utilized in new research, community outreach, study protocols, etc.

How OHCR works

Consult with OHC

Researchers reach out to OHC with a potential opportunity for community collaboration, and OHC helps them structure the project properly for sustainability and community consideration. If the consult is given a yes, OHC identifies a suitable community innovation lab for collaboration.

Community Innovation Lab Request

The research team now gives a formal request for working with the community innovation lab. This request includes the scope of the project, specifics on the nature of the collaboration, details on compensation, and a timeline for completion of the work.

Align with the Community Innovation Lab

OHC then creates a work plan and alignment document for work between the community innovation lab and research team. Here, OHC ensures that the research goals are clearly defined, that the work fits with the community innovation lab’s calendar, and that the community innovation lab is ready for the engagement.

Prepare for Community Innovation Lab Engagement

OHC and the research team construct a discussion/engagement guide that aligns with the research goals. This guide will align with the template that the community innovation lab is familiar with. Lastly, the research team will meet with the engagement facilitator, who will give any insight and feedback into the structure of the guide and engagement.

Convene with the Community Innovational Lab

Now, the community innovation lab will begin working on the project. Led by the facilitator, they will stick to the agreed upon guide, timeline, and scope in order to achieve the defined research goals.

Deliver Reports for Researchers and Community

Now, the OHC team will wrap up the project by producing two reports. One for the research team that clearly aligns with the established research goals. The other for the community innovation lab and the wider community. This report gives community members insight into the nature of the work, how it will be used in further research, and how the same material could be used within community to further address health disparities.

OUR HEALTHY COMMUNITY RESEARCH

Community Insights Package

The Community Insights Package makes the most of OHCR and includes the unique deliverables produced within the OHCR process. It includes:

Plan and Alignment Document

Outlines the work between the community and innovational lab and research to ensure the work is optimized for community engagement

Discussion and Engagement Guide

Outlines the discussion points and key questions to facilitate engagement with the community

OHCR Customer Research Report

States established research goals, engagement process, results, and insights

Community Innovation Lab Report

Gives community members insight into the nature of the work and how it will be used in the community and future research