Support a primary health care approach through University community engagement

This paper analyses the multiple level partnerships that initiated and facilitated the inaugural Tasmanian Rural Health Week in 2007. Rural Health Week (RHW) involved groups in 28 different rural communities in a wide range of health and well-being activities including community debates about local health issues, fun runs, health expos and school based nutritional initiatives. The paper analyses the structures that established and supported RHW, born out of a long-term engagement between the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services. It looks at the leadership role of the University as an ‘enabler’ in the creation and nurturing of a series of multi-tiered partnerships with rural communities. Critical engagement factors that positively affected the outcomes of RHW included resourcing, governance, flexibility and boundary crossers were identified. A number of challenges to successful partnerships were identified. These included a shared commitment to the collaboration; regional leadership and devolved responsibility, and the development of the State Health Plan, underpinned by a primary health care approach as outlined by the World Health Organisation in the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978, the key principles of which are reflected in good university community engagement practice. RHW through its multi-level partnerships has the potential to contribute towards the implementation of the State Health Plan through community participation in the development of sustainably health based partnerships.

A number of points are made about how to foster multi-level partnerships that support sustainable primary health care activities through university community engagement. These may have application to University community engagement in other spheres