The Bridge to Health Project: a collaborative model for assessing the health of a community.

The Bridge to Health Project, a collaborative effort of 70 health related organizations, was designed to collect population-based health status data about approximately a half million residents in a primarily rural region in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. Funding and staff support were provided by a regional medical center. The importance of sound survey methodology, role clarification, adequate staff support, and a well organized process to foster collaboration have applicability to other regions considering a collaborative process of health status assessment.