Mobilizing community assets to address health equity: Evaluation of the Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) project in Kansas

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of an asset-based community engagement approach to health equity. Study design: Mixed-methods program evaluation. Methods: Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE), an academic-community partnership, established Local Health Equity Action Teams (LHEATs) in 20 Kansas counties. From June 2021 to December 2023, LHEATs, comprising community members, service providers, and community health workers (CHWs), identified priority health equity areas and developed activities and a database of local assets (organizations able to provide support/services). CHWs supported activities and provided services to community members, all tracked in a shared database. Structured interviews with LHEAT members identified successes and opportunities for improvement. Results: LHEATs and CHWs identified 12 priority areas and documented 2435 assets available to address them. They partnered with community organizations to implement 1520 activities, reaching an estimated 224,325 people. CHWs provided direct services to 4232 community members, successfully addressing 9634 (87%) of 11,065 reported health-related social needs. Key informants emphasized lasting impacts, including capacity building, increased emergency-response readiness, and the value of CHWs in their community. Conclusions: LHEATs supported by CHWs can identify and leverage diverse community assets to promote health equity.