The general internal medicine health services research community has played a pivotal role in shaping national and state health policies. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) serves as a valuable avenue for health services researchers to explore and address health policy issues at the grassroots level. In this discussion, we highlight four mechanisms through which CBPR can enhance the impact of health services researchers on local health policy. CBPR proves advantageous for community partners by involving them directly in the research process, providing academic researchers with access to localized data, improving the interpretation of research findings by considering local context, and establishing a natural infrastructure for influencing local policy through community partnerships. Using examples from a CBPR project led by one of us (M.O.), we illustrate each mechanism. Recognizing both the challenges and opportunities associated with CBPR, future endeavors will contribute to elucidating how this evolving research paradigm can effectively complement traditional health services.