In the fall of 2020, Corewell Health Healthier Communities, Calvin University, and the Kent County Health Department received seed funding from Healthier Communities to develop a community-based participatory research approach to pilot in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood. The development of this model pulled from the approach Calvin University has been using for over 20 years as well as the Health Equity Zone model in Rhode Island. The purpose of the model development was to create a resident-driven model that could be scaled to other neighborhoods and broaden the institutional support for the model, inclusive of addressing systematic change and implementing resident-identified solutions.

The Our Neighborhood, Our Health project dedicated time in 2021 connecting with over 15 neighborhood organizations in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood to communicate the vision of the project. In March 2022, a Roosevelt Park Community Advisory Board was developed to provide input and guide the application of the approach in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood. Between March and May 2022, the Community Advisory Board selected a lead community-based organization to partner with. The Community Advisory Board made the final decision to select the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan as the lead community-based organization for this work.

The planning work is ongoing but it led up to the kickoff and completion of assessment activities. A comprehensive assessment was conducted in partnership with the Roosevelt Park Community. This assessment started with a broad approach to understanding the strengths, needs, and wishes of community members. The assessment started with focus groups followed by a community survey with questions developed following up on themes identified in the focus groups. Three focus groups were hosted at the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan in May and June of 2022. Two of the focus groups were conducted in Spanish and one in English. Overall, there were 32 community members that attended.

In parallel, a community survey was developed with input from community advocates from urban and rural settings. This survey expanded on themes identified in the focus group and included questions that had comparison groups at the state or national level. Between August 27, 2022, and November 1, 2022, the survey was administered by teams of two to three using iPads. These teams were coordinated to include one bilingual surveyor and as allowed, a community member. Overall, there were 27 surveyors that administered the surveys. This included 12 community members, 12 Healthier Communities team members, and 3 team members from the Kent County Health Department.