Breaking barriers and building bridges: Increasing community engagement in program evaluation.

Abstract Background Between September 2015 and 2018, The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) focused its Project PrIDE efforts on increasing PrEP awareness through a media campaign, and community engagement in. Wayne County, MI. A strained relationship between MDHHS and community has created barriers to sustained and effective community engagement. The local evaluation (LE) was developed to determine the barriers and facilitators to engagement in program activities. Methods To understand the process and the factors that impacted the project’s goal, a mixed methods participatory evaluation approach was utilized. Data collection included quantitative data from meeting surveys, qualitative data from focus groups, and a photovoice project. Analysis and synthesis included descriptive statistics and deductive thematic coding. Results CAB engagement increased collaboration, enhanced feasibility and utility, appropriateness, sustainability of activities, and increased transparency between MDHHS and CAB. Thematic coding identified Barriers and facilitators to engagement with PrEP activites included restrictive funding, comprehensive services delivery and CAB feedback underutilized and resulting in ineffective campaign messages. Conclusions Although a strained relationship was evident in the beginning, encouraging interagency collaboration in the development, implementation, and utilization of program and evaluation activities, resulted in the improvement of relationships between the community and MDHHS.