"The Agenda of the People": A Multisector Partnership for COVID-19 Mitigation in New York City.

This article evaluates the effectiveness of a community steering committee (CSC) formed under the National Institutes of Health's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics for Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) initiative to improve SARS-CoV-2 testing among New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents. Using qualitative methods including interviews, focus groups, and surveys conducted between 2020 and 2023, the study identified five core themes critical to the partnership's success: committee identity, collective goals, information sharing, adaptability, and trust. The multisector CSC, comprising representatives from community-based organizations, government agencies, academia, and residents, demonstrated that flexibility, shared purpose, diverse representation, and open communication were essential in addressing testing inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Challenges included sustaining engagement as the pandemic waned, resource limitations, and combating misinformation, highlighting the need for ongoing funding and hybrid engagement strategies. The findings offer a framework for strengthening future community-based public health collaborations in underserved urban settings.