Mapping Community health needs and priorities: reflections on community engagement from the Tasmanian University Department of Rural Health and the Meander Valley Community

Pressures on current health care services in rural and regional Australia increase the demands on policy makers to be better informed about the specific health needs of communities. In addition, recent policy developments in regional health services have called for a stronger preventative approach to health care through increased community participation in rural health service delivery and planning. This presents increasing opportunities for universities to engage with communities. It also highlights how an understanding of university community engagement (UCE) processes can assist universities and communities to work collaboratively in capturing the health issues, priorities and actions of a community in an inclusive and empowering way. This paper outlines a recent health mapping project in which the Tasmanian University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) engaged with the Meander Valley municipality in Northern Tasmania. The paper examines key university engagement principles underpinning the collaboration and explores how these were developed and sustained in successfully mapping the health needs and priorities of the community.