COMMUNITY CASE STUDY

Recruitment and Retention Techniques for Developing Faith-Based Research Partnerships, New York City, 2009–2012

Step 1 was to reach out to professional and community-based networks. The related activities were hosting SCALE phase 1 focus groups, presenting the study at the SCALE clinical site’s community meeting, approaching the outreach department of the SCALE clinical site, obtaining referrals from leaders of the community health workers' employment site, and having a SCALE collaborator also refer FBOs. Step 2 was to identify and ask networks to directly contact the spiritual or lay leaders of FBOs. From the focus groups and community meeting, a focus group participant and a community member facilitated a meeting with the spiritual leadership of their respective FBO and the SCALE research team. FBOs with ongoing relationships with the SCALE clinical site’s outreach department were informed about the study and invited to participate. From the community health workers’ employment site, a program director was identified, and a member of the SCALE collaboration was identified; these 2 people referred and contacted FBO leaders who had collaborated on previous community programs with their organizations. Step 3 was fostering direct communication between Project SCALE's lead investigators and the FBO spiritual leaders to develop a partnership. The 5 FBOs referred to SCALE by the study's professional and community-based networks became the 5 SCALE study partners.

Figure. Faith-based organization (FBO) identification process. Abbreviation: SCALE, Small Changes and Lasting Effects.

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