Partnerships & Intersectoral Collaboration

How does your organization contribute to a health literate public health system? How can you strengthen your services through partnership and collaboration? Explore these questions and more below.

Ways to Get Started

• Review Focus Area #3 in the toolkit beginning on page 41. Download Advancing Organizational Health Literacy (English | Spanish | screen-reader-friendly version).
• Take the self-assessment for Focus Area #3 beginning on page 6. Download Organizational Health Literacy Assessment (English | Spanish)
• Continue exploring the themes and resources below.

Activities and Worksheets

Explore these activities related to partnerships and intersectoral collaboration:

• Community Power Mapping (English | Spanish)
• Planning Meaningful Meetings (English | Spanish)

Additional Resources

On March 20, 2026, we held the webinar, Transformation, Not Transaction: Public Health Partnerships to Drive Change with CCDPH’s Dr. Darcie Moeller and Literacy Works’ Melanie Sampson as well as a panel of special guests:

• Gina Massuda Barnett, Program Director, Health Workforce, Michael Reese Health Trust
• Donisha Reed, Director, Population & Community Health Programs, TCA Health
• Keighty Ward, Program Director, Community Literacy, Literacy Works

The webinar explored how to approach partnerships and collaboration in meaningful, ethical, and practical ways.

Check out the webinar and its related resources on partnership and intersectoral collaboration below.

Webinar

Review the presentation slides (PDF) or watch the recording below.

Organization Partner Profile 

Check out this adaptable Microsoft Word document that you can download and use to think through what type of partnerships are important to your program or organization right now.

Encouraging Connection

Watch the Communications Corner short video below to learn more about cultivating connection in meetings or events – or check out this quick overview (PDF).

External Resources

Asset Mapping

• Asset-Based Community Development Institute – Resources on identifying community assets and strengths
• National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc: Community Asset Mapping Guide – Tips, resources, and examples for community asset mapping 

Collaboration and Partnership

• Human Impact Partners: Resources for Collaboration and Power Sharing Between Government Agencies and Community Power-Building Organizations – Resources on creating symbiotic relationships between government programs and community based organizations
• George Washington University: Communications and Coalition Building Guide Strategies for Advancing Equity to Build Community Resilience (PDF) – Guide to advancing equity through coalition building
• National Association of County and City Health Officials: Strategic Collaboration for Outbreak Response and Prevention in Healthcare Settings (PDF) – Strategies and examples to prepare for public health crisis responses
• Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering – Resources around having meaningful and effective gatherings of all purposes and sizes
• University of Kansas Community Toolbox: Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships – Wide overview of resources with examples on working effectively with other organization

Power Mapping Resources

• Commons Library: Power Mapping and Analysis – Overview of power mapping with links to related resources
• Union for Concerned Scientists: Power Mapping Your Way to Success – Brief overview with several different power mapping format examples