How a Community-Led Collaborative Creates Consistent and Coordinated Health Communication: Lessons from the HUB Augusta Collaborative

Our community suffers from a common problem - a disconnected, complex network of healthcare and human service providers that hinders the community they intend to serve. In response to the need for integration and coordination across sectors and informed by organizational and cultural communication theory, a group of not-for-profit organizations formed a coalition to innovate and coordinate services within Augusta, Georgia. This paper describes how the community-led HUB Augusta Collaborative creates consistent and coordinated health communication to promote health within the community we serve. Through a case study, we describe the community-driven approach to development and implementation of an outreach program to connect the healthcare system to high school students and their families via the school system. Process and effectiveness measures demonstrate how this innovative program generated healthcare access and trust.