Community Partner Interview Guide

Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-Xxxx

Exp. Date xx/xx/xxxx

NATIONAL PROGRAM TO ELIMINATE DIABETES-RELATED DISPARITIES IN VULNERABLE POPULATIONS

Community Partner/Coalition member

Interview Guide

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 1.5 hours per response, including the time required for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer; 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-xxxx)

Hello, my name is __________. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to discuss [GRANTEE ORGANIZATION NAME]. This interview will take no more than 1.5 hours of your time. We will do our best to stay on track.

We are conducting an assessment of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Program to Eliminate Diabetes-Related Disparities in Vulnerable Populations to learn more about the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based interventions to reduce risk factors that influence health disparities associated with diabetes. The assessment is being conducted by ICF International on behalf of the CDC. I, along with the CDC staff hope to learn much helpful information from this interview; your participation is essential to our learning process. The assessment will involve interviews with key stakeholders in the program. Through the interviews we are hoping to learn more about your work with the selected vulnerable populations and about opportunities to promote diabetes management and control among vulnerable communities.

To make sure that a comprehensive assessment of your project is conducted, over the next couple of days we will be talking with different groups of individuals, such as grantee project staff, consultants, site coordinators, community mobilizers, community partners, and coalition members. We want to hear their perspectives on CDC activities, the types of activities your project has implemented, what worked and what didn’t work, and opportunities for improvement in the future. You are the expert on your experience and your opinions and thoughts are invaluable.

This discussion is not meant to evaluate you; rather it is meant to gather insights on your organization and its initiatives. Please be assured that your name will not be used in any reports, and that we will not quote you directly without asking for your permission first. Your participation is completely voluntary; you may end the interview at any time, and if we ask a question that you would prefer not to answer, just tell us, and we’ll skip over it.

Notes will be taken to accurately capture our discussion. Additionally, we will be recording the interview to be sure that we correctly and completely capture your responses. We consider issues of privacy to be very important, and all notes and tapes will be destroyed upon completion of this assessment. Is it okay that we audiotape our interview? ____Yes ___No

Do you have any questions before we get started? [ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS AND THEN BEGIN]

1. BACKGROUND

First I’d like to learn about you and your role in [Coalition Name] and how you became involved.

1. Have you been involved in the past in other programs focused on diabetes issues?

2. When did you first get involved with [Coalition Name]? ________ mo/yr

Probe: Why did you choose to get involved with the coalition? What motivates you personally to participate?

Probe: How would you describe your level of involvement in the coalition?

3. What is your position within your organization?

4. How did your organization become involved with the coalition’s efforts?

5. What was your organization’s involvement, if any, in diabetes issues prior to joining the coalition?

6. What was your organization’s involvement, if any, with the population being served by the coalition?

2. PLANNING PROCESS

Next, I’d like to discuss the process that [Coalition Name] used to develop its goals and interventions for the Vulnerable Populations program.

7. What strategies did the coalition use to bring relevant or key players to the table?

8. Are there specific groups or organizations that are participating in the coalition that were not a part of previous diabetes management efforts in this community? If yes, what do you think has facilitated their involvement?

9. What was your organization’s involvement, if any, with the planning phase (such as the community needs assessment and the strategic planning process) of the program?

Probe: How well do you think these processes went?

10. During the planning phase, how responsive do you feel that the coalition leadership was to your organization’s needs?

Probe: Do you feel that your organization’s voice and ideas were heard?

3. INTERVENTIONS

Now I’d like to talk about the activities [interventions] that were implemented by the Coalition.

11. Do you think the selected program activities, that is, the interventions, target what is important to the community? Do they reflect the needs of the community?

12. In what ways, if any, do you think the culture of your community influenced the delivery and implementation of program activities?

13. Which of the program activities required multiple organizations and groups to work together to be successful? Please briefly describe how they worked together.

14. In your opinion, what major challenges, if any, did the program encounter during implementation? How were these challenges addressed?

15. In your opinion what were the major strengths of the program? How did the program build on these?

4. IMPACT

Next, I’d like to talk about what impact the coalition is having on you personally, the organization you are associated with, and the targeted community.

16. Has participation changed the way you personally think about diabetes? If yes, in what ways? Have these changes in your thinking translated into specific actions?

Probe: Provide examples.

17. How has being involved with this coalition benefitted your organization? How has being involved with this coalition been a challenge to your organization?

18. In what ways, if any, has participating in the coalition changed how your organization approaches diabetes?

19. What impact, if any, do you think the Vulnerable Populations Program has had on those cultural beliefs and practices in your community that may influence how diabetes is managed?

E. FUTURE IMPACT

Next, I’d like to talk a little bit about what lies ahead for the coalition.

20. In your opinion, will the coalition continue to function in the absence of the VP funding?

21. In thinking about the activities or interventions discussed, which do you think might be continued over the next two years without VP funding?

22. In your opinion do you think this program has been successful? Why or why not?

Probe: What accomplishments would indicate success for you?

F. GRANTEE ORGANIZATION/CDC

Lastly, I’d like to ask you a few of questions about your recommendations for the VP program, [Grantee Organization Name], and CDC.

23. Is there anything else that you would like to add regarding the VP Program or [Grantee Organization]?

24. Do you have any additional recommendations for the CDC related to implementing diabetes programs for vulnerable populations in the future?

25. Do you have any other general comments, concerns, or suggestions?

Thank you for your participation in this interview! Your responses, along with those of others, will be used to improve the Vulnerable Populations Program and its future activities.

Community Partner/Coalition Member Interviews Page 5 of 5