Strategic Partnership Development: Achieving Collaborative Advantage in Public Health

The public health system is made up of a wide network of governmental and non-governmental professionals and organizations, all working toward a common goal of improving population health. Achieving this ambitious goal requires coordination and collaboration across multiple sectors, agencies and individuals. That’s where strategic partnerships come in. The power of partnerships lies in their collaborative advantage — by working together, partners can create something greater than any organization could achieve on its own. 

However, while the potential of partnerships is significant, not all partnerships deliver the expected outcomes. Many partnerships encounter inertia, where progress slows and even small achievements seem difficult to reach. 

This toolkit, Strategic Partnership Development: Achieving Collaborative Advantage in Public Health — developed by the Kansas Health Institute and authors from Kansas State University and the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Population Health — provides public health leaders with practical tools to overcome barriers to strategic partnerships and maximize their collaborative advantage. 

Access this publication in the Documents & Downloads section. 

This work is supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, through OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.