Enid Quintana, MPH
Resident Physician at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus
Collaborative research project · 2021–2025
Co-creating in Corcovada
Co-creating knowledge and action in Corcovada
Water
Food
Community health
Location
Corcovada, Añasco, Puerto Rico
01
Context
Meet the community
Corcovada is a mountain community in Añasco, Puerto Rico. For more than four decades, about 600 people here have built an organization rooted in collective care. In 1968, 35 families, accompanied by a priest, built the access road and a community aqueduct in response to water scarcity. In 1990, that effort was formally incorporated as the Comité Comunal de Corcovada, Inc. Today, the committee operates two aqueducts serving 165 families and maintains a public tap for nearby neighborhoods.
Meet the community
Corcovada is a mountain community in Añasco, Puerto Rico. For more than four decades, about 600 people here have built an organization rooted in collective care. In 1968, 35 families, accompanied by a priest, built the access road and a community aqueduct in response to water scarcity. In 1990, that effort was formally incorporated as the Comité Comunal de Corcovada, Inc. Today, the committee operates two aqueducts serving 165 families and maintains a public tap for nearby neighborhoods.
The committee meets monthly, holds assemblies twice a year, and works through subcommittees on maintenance and activities such as the Three Kings celebration. Water payments and community efforts sustain the aqueduct and improve local infrastructure. When the neighborhood school closed, residents turned it into a gym, office, computer center, and health space. For Corcovada, the aqueduct is more than water: it symbolizes self-management, solidarity, and the ability to respond together to community needs.
02
How we worked
Toward a co-creation process
Building on this community network, we planned together with residents: defining questions, prioritizing topics, and designing participatory tools, including Photovoice and informational materials, to document experiences and turn them into action. The following section describes that co-creation process.
Toward a co-creation process
Building on this community network, we planned together with residents: defining questions, prioritizing topics, and designing participatory tools, including Photovoice and informational materials, to document experiences and turn them into action. The following section describes that co-creation process.
Toward a co-creation process
Building on this community network, we planned together with residents: defining questions, prioritizing topics, and designing participatory tools, including Photovoice and informational materials, to document experiences and turn them into action. The following section describes that co-creation process.
In Corcovada, Añasco, Puerto Rico, we worked with 16 community leaders (2021–2025) through community-based participatory research to co-develop tools for understanding these interdependencies and strengthening local preparedness.
01
Community FEW maps
To visualize infrastructure, critical routes, and the management of community aqueducts, identifying vulnerabilities and opportunities for improvement.
02
FEW–emergency assessment protocol
To understand the relationship between food, energy, and water insecurity and community emergency management practices.
03
Participatory budgeting
An exercise to prioritize investments and improve preparedness for extreme events through clear agreements and shared criteria.
03 — Results
Initiative results
This section presents Corcovada's main outcomes: studies, tools, and processes co-created with the community to strengthen food, energy, and water (FEW) resilience. You will find what we learned, how we put it into practice, and materials ready for use in other communities. Our aim is for these outcomes to inform decisions and accelerate local solutions.
OUTCOME 01
Social capital, health resilience, and compound risks in Corcovada (2022)
We explored how compound risks affect FEW systems and community health. Through participatory research with 16 community leaders, we confirmed that social capital—trust, networks, and collective action—is key to sustaining health resilience. We recommend strengthening local capacity and community organizations as a strategy for preparedness and response.
Scientific article · open access
OUTCOME 02
Assessing public health impacts of compound FEW insecurities within communities (2023)
We developed, piloted, and validated a community-centered household survey to measure experiences of food, energy, and water insecurity and their health risks before, during, and after single and compound events. We designed it as an accessible, actionable tool to help local leaders and teams prioritize needs and make evidence-based decisions.
Scientific article · open access
OUTCOME 03
Participatory budgeting: A community intervention for resource security after disasters (2024)
We implemented a participatory budgeting process for residents to propose, prioritize, and vote on FEW and health solutions. We documented teams, activities, and outcomes—including greater cohesion and participation—and prepared a set of materials so other communities can replicate the process with limited resources.
Article and materials for replicating participatory budgeting
03 — Results
Initiative results
This section presents Corcovada's main outcomes: studies, tools, and processes co-created with the community to strengthen food, energy, and water (FEW) resilience. You will find what we learned, how we put it into practice, and materials ready for use in other communities. Our aim is for these outcomes to inform decisions and accelerate local solutions.
OUTCOME 01
Social capital, health resilience, and compound risks in Corcovada (2022)
We explored how compound risks affect FEW systems and community health. Through participatory research with 16 community leaders, we confirmed that social capital—trust, networks, and collective action—is key to sustaining health resilience. We recommend strengthening local capacity and community organizations as a strategy for preparedness and response.
Scientific article · open access
OUTCOME 02
Assessing public health impacts of compound FEW insecurities within communities (2023)
We developed, piloted, and validated a community-centered household survey to measure experiences of food, energy, and water insecurity and their health risks before, during, and after single and compound events. We designed it as an accessible, actionable tool to help local leaders and teams prioritize needs and make evidence-based decisions.
Scientific article · open access
OUTCOME 03
Participatory budgeting: A community intervention for resource security after disasters (2024)
We implemented a participatory budgeting process for residents to propose, prioritize, and vote on FEW and health solutions. We documented teams, activities, and outcomes—including greater cohesion and participation—and prepared a set of materials so other communities can replicate the process with limited resources.
Article and materials for replicating participatory budgeting
03 — Results
Initiative results
This section presents Corcovada's main outcomes: studies, tools, and processes co-created with the community to strengthen food, energy, and water (FEW) resilience. You will find what we learned, how we put it into practice, and materials ready for use in other communities. Our aim is for these outcomes to inform decisions and accelerate local solutions.
OUTCOME 01
Social capital, health resilience, and compound risks in Corcovada (2022)
We explored how compound risks affect FEW systems and community health. Through participatory research with 16 community leaders, we confirmed that social capital—trust, networks, and collective action—is key to sustaining health resilience. We recommend strengthening local capacity and community organizations as a strategy for preparedness and response.
Scientific article · open access
OUTCOME 02
Assessing public health impacts of compound FEW insecurities within communities (2023)
We developed, piloted, and validated a community-centered household survey to measure experiences of food, energy, and water insecurity and their health risks before, during, and after single and compound events. We designed it as an accessible, actionable tool to help local leaders and teams prioritize needs and make evidence-based decisions.
Scientific article · open access
OUTCOME 03
Participatory budgeting: A community intervention for resource security after disasters (2024)
We implemented a participatory budgeting process for residents to propose, prioritize, and vote on FEW and health solutions. We documented teams, activities, and outcomes—including greater cohesion and participation—and prepared a set of materials so other communities can replicate the process with limited resources.
Article and materials for replicating participatory budgeting
04
Resources
TOOLKIT · PDF
Toolkit for assessing community well-being
A tool developed through the Corcovada initiative to assess community well-being.
TOOLKIT · PDF
Toolkit for assessing community well-being
A tool developed through the Corcovada initiative to assess community well-being.
05
Research team
Fernando Cuevas Quintana, MSW
Doctoral student in Social Work, with an emphasis on social policy and administration, at Inter American University of Puerto Rico.
Anaís Roque Antonetty, PhD
Assistant Professor of Environmental Justice at the Nicholas School of the Environment – Environmental Social Systems Division, Duke University.
Mary Angélica Painter, PhD
Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder's Natural Hazards Center.
Sameer Shah, PhD
Assistant Professor of Climate Adaptation at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Fernando Tormos Aponte, PhD
Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Javier Nieves Torres
Independent historian of energy.
Génesis Alvelo Colón, B. A.
Doctoral student in Anthropology at The Ohio State University
Wendy Prudencio, MS
Doctoral student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Kenneth R. De León Colón, B.S.
Doctoral student in Fish and Wildlife Biology at Clemson University, South Carolina.
Ryelie Barnes
Undergraduate student in Medical Anthropology at The Ohio State University, Columbus.
Isabel Navarro
Undergraduate student in Anthropology at Arizona State University.
Enid Quintana, MPH
Resident Physician at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus
Fernando Cuevas Quintana, MSW
Doctoral student in Social Work, with an emphasis on social policy and administration, at Inter American University of Puerto Rico.
Anaís Roque Antonetty, PhD
Assistant Professor of Environmental Justice at the Nicholas School of the Environment – Environmental Social Systems Division, Duke University.
Mary Angélica Painter, PhD
Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder's Natural Hazards Center.
Sameer Shah, PhD
Assistant Professor of Climate Adaptation at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Fernando Tormos Aponte, PhD
Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Javier Nieves Torres
Independent historian of energy.
Génesis Alvelo Colón, B. A.
Doctoral student in Anthropology at The Ohio State University
Wendy Prudencio, MS
Doctoral student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Kenneth R. De León Colón, B.S.
Doctoral student in Fish and Wildlife Biology at Clemson University, South Carolina.
Ryelie Barnes
Undergraduate student in Medical Anthropology at The Ohio State University, Columbus.
Isabel Navarro
Undergraduate student in Anthropology at Arizona State University.
Enid Quintana, MPH
Resident Physician at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus
Fernando Cuevas Quintana, MSW
Doctoral student in Social Work, with an emphasis on social policy and administration, at Inter American University of Puerto Rico.
Anaís Roque Antonetty, PhD
Assistant Professor of Environmental Justice at the Nicholas School of the Environment – Environmental Social Systems Division, Duke University.
Mary Angélica Painter, PhD
Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder's Natural Hazards Center.
Sameer Shah, PhD
Assistant Professor of Climate Adaptation at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Fernando Tormos Aponte, PhD
Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Javier Nieves Torres
Independent historian of energy.
Génesis Alvelo Colón, B. A.
Doctoral student in Anthropology at The Ohio State University
Wendy Prudencio, MS
Doctoral student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Kenneth R. De León Colón, B.S.
Doctoral student in Fish and Wildlife Biology at Clemson University, South Carolina.
Ryelie Barnes
Undergraduate student in Medical Anthropology at The Ohio State University, Columbus.
Isabel Navarro
Undergraduate student in Anthropology at Arizona State University.
06
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