Exploring Partnership Functioning Within a Community-Based Participatory Intervention to Improve Disaster Resilience

Abstract

Disasters happen worldwide, and it is necessary to engage emergency management agencies, health and social services, and community-based organizations in collaborative management activities to enhance community resilience. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been widely accepted in public health research as an approach to develop partnerships between academic researchers and community stakeholders and to promote innovative solutions to complex social issues. Little is known, however, about how CBPR partnerships function and contribute to successful outcomes. In this article, the authors present a case study of a CBPR partnership formed with the community of Quebec City, Canada, under the Enhancing Resilience and Capacity for Health (EnRiCH) Project, to improve emergency preparedness and adaptive capacity among high-risk populations. This qualitative study presents participants’ perspectives on how the partnership functioned and the outcomes of this collaboration. Findings are discussed in relation to contextual and group dynamics, as well as system and capacity outcomes.