Empowering Underserved Communities: The Medical Town Hall as a Model for Community-Driven Health Agency
1
Surgery, University of South Alabama Health System, Mobile, United States
2
USA Health Center for Healthy Communities, University of South Alabama Health System, Mobile, United States
3
Internal Medicine, University of South Alabama Health System, Mobile, United States
4
Family Medicine, University of South Alabama Health System, Mobile, United States
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Health promotion is fundamentally a process of empowerment, enabling individuals and communities to reclaim control over the determinants of their health. By fostering community connectedness, resilience, and social justice, health outcomes are improved through enhanced social competence and opportunities for public debate.1 To operationalize this, the USA Health Center for Healthy Communities (CHC) and the mobile metropolitan medical society launched a medical town hall series. This initiative sought to bridge the gap between providers and minoritized populations by fostering trust and providing a platform for community-led health discourse.
METHODS:
Between October 2023 and September 2025, six medical town hall meetings were held within various communities. The methodology prioritized community-driven inquiry; 20 physicians across 12 specialties participated in open forums where all questions were recorded and categorized using inductive thematic analysis. 134 attendees were surveyed to assess program awareness, perceptions, and satisfaction. Descriptive statistics were performed using SAS to evaluate the demographic reach and efficacy of the empowerment model.
RESULTS:
The thematic analysis of 67 inquiries revealed a significant focus on mistrust (n=27), general health (n=22) and specific conditions (n=14). The demographics showed a highly engaged audience, primarily female (81.8%) and aged 65+ (41.3%), representing 25 unique zip codes. Satisfaction was nearly universal, with 91% of respondents reporting "very satisfied." Crucially, the community demonstrated high agency in their feedback: 71.02% of suggestions regarding program structure focused on expanding the town hall's reach, signaling a desire for community-wide scaling and continued social support. Median distance traveled was 4.1 miles, or 6.6 km (max distance 35.8 mi).
CONCLUSIONS:
The medical town hall format transcends traditional health education by establishing a sustainable organizational approach to community empowerment. By centering the voices of underserved populations and addressing systemic mistrust through direct dialogue, this model builds the social competence and health literacy forging health agency.
Health promotion is fundamentally a process of empowerment, enabling individuals and communities to reclaim control over the determinants of their health. By fostering community connectedness, resilience, and social justice, health outcomes are improved through enhanced social competence and opportunities for public debate.1 To operationalize this, the USA Health Center for Healthy Communities (CHC) and the mobile metropolitan medical society launched a medical town hall series. This initiative sought to bridge the gap between providers and minoritized populations by fostering trust and providing a platform for community-led health discourse.
METHODS:
Between October 2023 and September 2025, six medical town hall meetings were held within various communities. The methodology prioritized community-driven inquiry; 20 physicians across 12 specialties participated in open forums where all questions were recorded and categorized using inductive thematic analysis. 134 attendees were surveyed to assess program awareness, perceptions, and satisfaction. Descriptive statistics were performed using SAS to evaluate the demographic reach and efficacy of the empowerment model.
RESULTS:
The thematic analysis of 67 inquiries revealed a significant focus on mistrust (n=27), general health (n=22) and specific conditions (n=14). The demographics showed a highly engaged audience, primarily female (81.8%) and aged 65+ (41.3%), representing 25 unique zip codes. Satisfaction was nearly universal, with 91% of respondents reporting "very satisfied." Crucially, the community demonstrated high agency in their feedback: 71.02% of suggestions regarding program structure focused on expanding the town hall's reach, signaling a desire for community-wide scaling and continued social support. Median distance traveled was 4.1 miles, or 6.6 km (max distance 35.8 mi).
CONCLUSIONS:
The medical town hall format transcends traditional health education by establishing a sustainable organizational approach to community empowerment. By centering the voices of underserved populations and addressing systemic mistrust through direct dialogue, this model builds the social competence and health literacy forging health agency.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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