Community Engagement involves engaging the community routinely in setting priorities and designing services that are reflective of community needs and preferences. Community engagement occurs on a continuum, from informing to shared leadership. The World Health Organization notes that "health systems can engage directly with communities through face-to-face interaction. Engagement can also occur indirectly through the systematic consideration and incorporation of the perspectives and needs of patients and service users, their families and local communities, throughout all stages of health service planning, design, implementation and evaluation" (WHO). 

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By meaningfully engaging their communities, Georgia Critical Access Hospitals can co-create solutions to community challenges in partnership with community members and organizations. ​Hospitals can work together with their communities to improve healthcare safety and quality as well as community health outcomes. Such partnerships also can enhance the relevance and effectiveness of hospitals. It can also enhance the hospital's visibility within the communities they serve.

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The Community Engagement Assessment Program under the Georgia Flex Financial and Operational Improvement Grant can help your hospital evaluate your current community engagement efforts and help you develop an action plan to implement evidence-based best practices for enhancing community engagement.