COLLABORATIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND SYSTEMS-DEVELOPMENT IN ALABAMA - PROCESS AND PRODUCTS

This article describes the implementation of a collaborative project a nd its results, involving a department of maternal and child health (D MCH) in a school of public health and a state department of public hea lth. The state received a federal grant to enhance systems development for women and children. Adequate information regarding the existing s ystem of health care was lacking. The state contracted with the DMCH f or assistance in designing and conducting a needs assessment, whose pu rpose was to (1) identify strengths and weaknesses in the state system of care, (2) provide baseline information for targeting resources and measuring change, and (3) initiate an on-going process of assessment and evaluation of need. The DMCH collected data about financial and no nfinancial barriers to care from state-level health agency and organiz ation experts, county-level service personnel, and consumers. The cont ributions to understanding the needs of the state offered by the infor mation garnered in the three surveys helped the state in setting immed iate and long-range objectives. The presence of the school of public h ealth and the focus of its particular DMCH on assisting state agencies , provided an atmosphere in which the state could ask for assistance a nd the university could respond in a way that was useful and relevant to the state's needs. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): assessment, hea lth planning, health priorities, interprofessional relations, program planning, public health.