B. Future Direction - Results of the Regional Breakout Sessions

Purpose and Process:

Over the past two years, the planning for the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations has been guided by a small steering committee using the information gathered in the initial survey and interviews of EPOs throughout California. While both previous Summits included considerable discussion about the future of the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations, the planners for the October 2003 Summit proposed a more systematic process for obtaining the input of the full range of organizations and participants represented at the meeting. On the last morning of the Summit, participants met in two breakout groups - one representing Northern California and the other Southern California - to discuss the future direction of the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations.

The breakout session process employed a series of structured questions to elicit information from the participants. The session began with participants discussing the current projects, issues and partnerships with which they are engaged. Building on that information, they were queried about how a statewide Network could assist them in their work, the desired characteristics of such a Network, and the activities it should undertake.

Specifically, participants were asked to:

• Identify one or two key partners with whom their Ethnic Physician Organization work.
• Describe the key issues their Organization is addressing "or would like to address" in their communities.
• Describe how a Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations could assist their work.
• Define those characteristics of a Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations required for it to succeed in addressing statewide policy issues.

Key Partnerships:

Session participants reported that their EPOs were involved in a large number and wide variety of partnerships, falling into the following types:

• State and national parent and affiliated ethnic physician organizations that provided assistance in strengthening their Organizations and with which they worked collaboratively on policy and practice issues that affected their membership.
• Health care provider organizations (e.g., hospitals and clinics) that worked with the EPOs on community health projects and provided logistical and other support to the EPO itself. These relationships frequently developed from the recognition of the importance of EPO members in serving the patients of the provider organization in a culturally appropriate manner.
• Other community based organizations and local charities for the delivery of services through health fairs and other events to the communities served by the EPO. In one case this type of partnership helped to establish Asian Health Services, a major community provider of health services to Asians in Oakland, California.

Only one Organization reported a high level of participation in and strong working relationship with its local medical society.

Overall, the response to the "key partners" question revealed a high level of EPO participation in partnerships. However, there were few long-term collaborations that have generated major improvements in health services to the communities served by the EPOs.