During project year 2012-13, the Emory IHP’s “Reaching Vulnerable Populations” utilized a practice-based discovery process using a modified Delphi technique to synthesize distinctive practices from across the 10 participating sites. The purpose was to delineate essential practices associated with faith-based and community organizations that have successfully reached vulnerable, at-risk, hard-to-reach, and minority populations with influenza education and vaccination.

Over a period of six months, the identification of essential practices was accomplished in this sequence:

• Document review and thematic analysis (4 years of progress reports and presentations)
• In-person inductive identification of key elements of practice (four of 10 sites) to produce an initial list of 25 key elements and characteristics
• Online survey to validate key elements and characteristics (16 respondents across 10 sites)
• Small group work comprised of representatives from nine sites working to develop definitions and operational characteristics
• Further refinement of definitions and distinctive characteristics through conference calls with participating sites.  This led to 14 practices combined into a relational model organized by foundational elements, processes, and infrastructure.

During August 2013, we collaborated with ASTHO to pilot test the model as a capacity building tool for two state health departments and their faith-based partners.