United Way of Tarrant County selects SPH to conduct comprehensive community needs assessment

March 7, 2018 • Uncategorized

By Sally Crocker

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Assessment to Help Determine Priorities and Funding Allocations in the Community

United Way of Tarrant County has selected UNTHSC to conduct a comprehensive community needs assessment to uncover the most pressing social issues affecting the health and prosperity of the Tarrant County population.

This project will be led by researchers from UNTHSC’s School of Public Health (SPH) under the guidance of Dr. Emily Spence-Almaguer, Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Health Equity.

The research leadership team will include Danielle Rohr, MS, serving as Project Director, and Dr. Karen Bell, Assistant Professor of Health Behavior and Health Systems.

The community needs assessment is part of United Way of Tarrant County’s new strategic plan.

The results of the assessment, which will include in-depth, one-on-one interviews and focus groups with local leaders, civic representatives and citizens, will allow United Way of Tarrant County to determine priorities and future funding allocations to not only address the issues but to determine the root causes and solve them.

“This research will help us discover prominent issues that are having profound effects on the community and citizens’ health and prosperity,” said TD Smyers, President and CEO of United Way of Tarrant County. “We are proud to partner with UNT Health Science Center.”

The project is made possible by a $250,000 grant from the Sid Richardson Foundation. The foundation has focused their distribution of major grants to organizations that are dedicated to improving Texas communities. Findings from the assessment are expected in the fall of 2018.

“We are committed to engaging with the community through education, collaboration and research, to help address issues impacting the health and well-being of Tarrant County residents,” said Dr. Dennis Thombs, SPH Dean. “The research team brings extensive experience in community needs assessments and projects of this type, and the information to be discovered should be important in guiding future solutions for Tarrant County.”

United Way of Tarrant County has worked to improve the lives of those in the community for more than 95 years. Each year, United Way helps more than 300,000 people through its resources.