Community-Engaged Population Health: Promoting Health Outcomes for Medicaid Recipients

Medicaid insurance plans provide free or low-cost healthcare coverage to individuals with limited incomes and serve vulnerable populations that experience health inequities. Community health engagement programs provide Medicaid recipients with opportunities for health screening, health education and participatory chronic disease prevention programs to reduce the risk of premature mortality. Although community-engaged programs have been identified as a promising strategy for improving chronic disease health outcomes, insufficient evidence exists regarding their effectiveness. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions, attitudes and understanding of population health following a community-engaged intervention and the impact it may have on health outcomes among individuals diagnosed with chronic disease in receipt of Medicaid. This study adopted the process evaluation method with the aim of understanding the relationship between a community engagement program and its impact on promoting health outcomes for individuals diagnosed with chronic disease. Focus groups were carried out with eight participants in a private meeting room at the end of the community-engagement program. A semi-structured interview guide was used. The findings of this study identified two themes from a subset of the data, which were (1) understanding the population health concept for chronic disease management within the community and (2) personalized learning for promoting health outcomes. Using a community-engaged approach with short health seminars demonstrates a unique and community-centered approach that facilitates health literacy and helps improve health outcomes for individuals diagnosed with chronic disease.