Community Engagement Program

Community Health Center Community Advisory Board Toolkit

This Toolkit provides guidance for community health centers that seek to establish community advisory boards (CABs). A CAB is a group of community members and organizational representatives who provide guidance on a project or initiative. CABs have commonly been used in research, but they could also be valuable groups that can support health centers set priorities, implement evidence-based prevention and care, and improve outreach to residents. This guide combines established best practices with practical tips from health center staff, firsthand experiences of successful CABs, testimonials from community members who have been part of CABs, and resources to support implementation.

Health center leaders will find guidance on how to establish the leadership structure, plan the logistics and facilitation of meetings, prioritize initiatives, budget for sustained impact, and evaluate engagement. Overall, this toolkit provides a comprehensive guide for creating a well-structured and effective CAB, helping to ensure that the board can make a meaningful impact on health in the community it serves.

Topics of focus include:

• CAB Leadership Structure
• CAB Member Recruitment
• Meeting Logistics
• Meeting Facilitation
• Prioritization
• Cost and Sustainability
• Evaluation

View the full toolkit here [PDF].

The authors acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of all participating CHCs and CAB members who contributed to its content. This toolkit was made possible with help from the Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control Equity, a National Cancer Institute funded program (P50 CA244433). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute.