Community settings as the “primary health setting”

Cormac Russell’s https://www.nurturedevelopment.org/who-we-are/cormac-russell/ talk, When Community Itself is Healthy emphasis’ Health Systems prioritizing asset based approaches in community neighbourhood development to the British Columbia Health Quality Forum.

• Shift money from the acute ends of our health systems and move upstream
• Aim to surround people with an interdependent community
• Resist social prescribing of individuals, instead focus facilitation in the community that surrounds them
• Make sure we don’t overreach with our institutionalizing of care through knowing our place and role in the community
• Deploy services to recognize the gifts of individuals and neighbours in order for the services to be able to work “alongside people” and enhance citizenship

(image: picture of speaker and title of talk)

Please see the 45 minute talk here: https://healthqualitybc.ca/resources/cormac-russell-plenary-presentation-quality-forum-2023/

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Safe Communities Determinants (Robert Samson)

How many neighbours do you know by first name? 

How often do you do things together, are you willing to get involved in the commons, shared community life?

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Associational Life

(graphic: Slide of components)

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https://healthqualitybc.ca/

A community dialogue on a community focused response to mental health crisis

A literature review by Nasra Hussein along with a range of presentations on practices provides a downstream view to developing a community and neighbourhood approach to mental health crisis’ in Ottawa. Cosponsored by:  Social Planning Council of Ottawa, Minwaashin Lodge, Crime Prevention Ottawa, Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition and Ottawa Community Partnership for Health Equity. 

Reimagining Crisis Intervention: A Review of the Literature on Best Practices in Community-Based Crisis Intervention

… Evidence shows that investment in community-based crisis intervention programs involving interagency collaboration between service providers can foster collective impact in reducing the exposure of PMIs to the criminal justice system. A community-based approach effectively supports PMIs with diversion, treatment, and recovery while connecting them to community resources such as health care, stable and affordable housing, mentoring, conflict resolution, trauma-informed care, and employment services. Such initiatives are structured to address the root causes of mental illness by providing a supportive environment to help people overcome their challenges and tackle their socio-economic and health issues.

This report provides information on:

1. the impacts of the social determinants of health on mental health crisis intervention,
2. barriers to effective crisis intervention based on the current system,
3. facilitators for effective crisis intervention that support persons with mental illness, especially those who are racialized and disproportionately affected by traditional policing, and
4. existing non-police and community-based crisis intervention models. …

Link to the report: https://www.spcottawa.on.ca/data-research/

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Speaker Series: Responding to Mental Health Crises: Learning from Models in Ottawa and Beyond

…In Ottawa, Canada and the U.S., there have been many successful models for responding to mental health crises. We invite you to this speaker series to learn what is currently being done in response to mental health crisis situations.

Each event in the series will feature one approach to a mental health crisis response, with a presentation highlighting how and why it was developed, how it works and the lessons learned. A Q&A will follow the presentation. …

Link to the Series: https://www.ocphe.ca/mental-health-crisis-response-alternatives

A refocus on Institution’s roles in community health and justice, … we have a choice to make

Cormac Russell https://www.nurturedevelopment.org/who-we-are/cormac-russell/ in “Does more medicine make us sicker? Ivan Illich revisited” helps us to refocus on our efforts to improve individual care and advance system and social change through our organizations and institutions as the drivers of change. For me the practices of implementation science, has greatly brought needed light, tools and analysis to pulling organizations towards practice change. It includes ideas such as co- production as well as keeping an eye on “the external” systems. This article reminded me to shift my institutional interventions mindset to reflect, analyze and cherish community.

Title of article, Does more medicine make us sicker? Ivan Illich revisited

… While Illich was opposed to institutionalism, he was not against institutions per se. Rather his pamphlets challenged attempts on the part of institutions to monopolize functions related to the production of health and well-being, death, safety, wisdom and justice. Since, he contended, these social goods were not commodities unilaterally produced by institutional systems and thereafter consumed by individuals. Instead, he notes in Tools for Conviviality, there are certain irreplaceable functions that natural communities must perform to be well and to prevail culturally.10 And, if they do not do those things, then there are no institutional tools or systems’ alternatives that can appropriately replace those civic functions.

Indeed, Illich argued that it is not a case of ‘either/or’ (community or institution), so much as a question of, which comes first. He contended that an institutional inversion had taken hold in modern societies, through which the community role becomes that which is left after the institutions and their professional helpers have done what they think they can do better or more expertly. Illich contested this inversion, and argued for its reversal whereby the institutional and professional role should be defined as being that which is left after the community has done what it can and wants to do. …

See the article here: /https://www.nurturedevelopment.org/news/does-more-medicine-make-us-sicker-ivan-illich-revisited//

Does more medicine make us sicker? Ivan Illich revisited

“No one walks alone, we walk with you,” the Virtual Art in Strathcona Park

Mental Illness Caregiver’s Association (MICA) bridge art, music, care, creativity to building community.

Virtual Art in Strathcona Park
We at MICA are pleased to present the Virtual Art in Strathcona Park – Virtual Art In The Park. This is our first foray into the virtual world—we see it as a work in progress that will continue to evolve, with your feedback and from visitors to our virtual event.

Over the next 20 days (22 August to 10 September) we will present a showcase of arts and crafts, introduce organizations that offer support and services to caregivers and their loved ones living with mental illness, share information about MICA projects, and offer some light-hearted entertainment at our Caregiver Café.

We invite you to take few moments to tour the website, enjoy the arts and crafts, and learn more about MICA. In addition, would you kindly support our celebration by inviting others you know to visit our virtual event – a flyer is attached to do just that!

In closing, be well and be safe, with our thanks ……

See the website here: https://www.micaontario.com/VAIP/

 

Principles of care can be bridged to the context of community development; “Hippocratic Oath for Community Workers”

This article by Jim Diers https://www.tamarackcommunity….est/author/jim-diers posted in Tamarack  https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/  lays out guideposts for community system and planning interventions.

… We need to acknowledge the ways in which we often inadvertently harm the very communities we are trying to help and pledge to work in ways that contribute to their health. Here, then, is an outline of principles I would like to see included in a Hippocratic Oath for community workers whether they are social workers, recreation coordinators, clergy, community police, public health workers, planners, educators, service learning students, outreach staff, organizers or other community-based professionals. …

 

• Here is the Tamarack article: https://www.tamarackcommunity….=fbp-460585403994186

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I think Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) workers are also woven into community work.  We need to keep an eye on these principles.

Our role in community work is not well acknowledged as critical to actual care, and our efforts to have a sustainable health care system.

One effort to acknowledge the links of ACT with community development and system planning is shared here:

Assertive Community Treatment as Community Change Intervention

Abstract: Individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMI) are a vulnerable population, struggling to cope with fragmented and often unwelcoming community service systems. Research has examined Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) as an intervention for SMI individuals, but little research has explored ACT’s potential as a community system change intervention. Using focus groups with ACT teams, we explored changes in community service systems as a result of ACT teams’ presence. Changes identified included increased understanding of SMI; increased access to services; and increased collaboration across service systems. Processes by which these changes occurred included knowledge communication, negotiation, renaming by association, and ongoing relationships.

• article link : https://www.tandfonline.com/do…9?journalCode=wcom20
• power point if you can’t access article easily is here:

Assertive Community Treatment (Scheyett)

Ottawa Community Development Network, a resource to bridge our individual care efforts to client’s everyday lives.

Bill Dare explains – The network is taking on the complexity of the disjointed approaches to individual care and support to bring a “service user” driven foundation to community and neighborhood actions along with finding ways to align organizations and institutions. 

I recently learned more about its efforts to strengthen social and health wellness after discussing with Dianne Urquhart of the Ottawa Social Planning Council  https://www.spcottawa.on.ca/ and attending a community meeting, how:  people are strengthening their own community, neighbourhood and work settings.

Individual practice – care and support can chip at at strengthening individual’s connections in multiple and various forms to their communities.  How to embed, prioritize this approach in everyday practice beyond chipping, is not so easy as we negotiate layers of what is involved with Community Mental Health, Recovery practice but the formal framework  and Community Development guidelines help.

Community Development Framework (CDF) brings together residents, community organizations, and city services in priority neighbourhoods across Ottawa. Together, we:

• Identify local community issues and strengths.
• Decide on the changes the community wants to make and set goals.
• Build on neighbourhood strengths, and develop skills and support to make the changes happen.
  • Some goals require change at a level beyond the influence of the local community (for example traffic calming or access to affordable and nutritious food). An important aspect of the CDF approach is to support the “systems” level (i.e. community agencies and institutions) to address those concerns at a city-wide level.

 

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Guiding Principles for
Community Development Practice

Coalition of Community Health and Resource Centres
Community Developers Network
February 2018

II. Guiding Principles for Community Development Practice
The importance of clarity regarding guiding principles became increasingly evident as this work
unfolded. The overall connection is the resulting impact on community change. This work is
grounded in over-arching principles of social change and requires foundational supports to provide
the infrastructure capacity for CD practice.

The framework below highlights four core principles that define the work of CD.
 Challenging Systemic Inequity & Power Dynamics & Supporting Empowerment
 Responsive to Community
 Transformational Practice
 Partnership & Collaboration

These principles are strongly inter-related and as such are used in all CD activities. Depending on
the activity, one principle may have a greater focus, but the other principles are still considered
when planning the most appropriate approach.

 The principles guideline for community developers can be found here: https://cdfcdc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/FINAL-Guiding-Principles-for-Comm-Dev-english-Nov-19.pdf

Learn more at the Community Development website: https://cdfcdc.ca/

MEN AND THE GENDER EQUALITY REVOLUTION – Octopus book launch and discussion

Please consider joining the discussion with Micheal Kaufman at the book launch, it should be a good one. 

Thursday February 28th, 5-7 pm, 251 Bank Street. (note not at the store, rather the annex)

From closing the wage gap, challenging toxic masculinity, ending violence against women, to dismantling the patriarchy itself, the time has come for men to join the fight for gender equality.

Join Michael Kaufman and guests for a discussion that will explore the damaging effects of our patriarchal culture, and how changes in our workplaces, in the ways we raise boys to be men, and in the movement to end men’s violence will bring significant rewards in our community and all around the world.

Michael Kaufman is the cofounder of the White Ribbon Campaign—the largest international network of men working to end violence against women—and for decades has been an advisor on gender equality to the United Nations, governments, NGOs, schools, and workplaces around the world. With honest storytelling, compassion, and hard-hitting analysis, The Time Has Come is a compelling look at why men must take a stand in the fight for gender equality.

See Event Details Here: http://octopusbooks.ca/event/men-and-the-gender-equality-revolution-the-time-has-come-book-launch-with-michael-kaufman

Ottawa’s Cycle Salvation, social enterprise, individuals building community

The role of social enterprise to support people to enter employment, employment calibrated to a person’s- need, skills is unique in the continuum of Vocational Program development.  In my own practice I’ve found greater potential to actually find the best fit for an individual is through a social enterprise approach.   Maybe it is because of the structure and values in play where, while there always is a boss and a job to do, there are bigger outcomes and expectations involved.   This brief video gives a taste of such an approach.

BTW, they are always looking for bike donations.

See the video here: http://rogerstv.com/media?lid=237&rid=4&gid=283391

Learn more about Causeway’s social enterprise efforts here: http://www.causewayworkcentre.org/social-business/

…“I am more than what happened to me, I’m not just my trauma”…

Shawn Ginwright’s article The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement, provides a useful and in depth beacon of how we can take a broader focus in our alignment of services and individual practice.  It outlines that we can make trauma informed care along with the care of the individual, relevant to: families, neighborhoods and communities, shifting our focus to citizenship.  A kick, to move us to take a whole person approach to the recovery model. 

…The term “trauma informed care” didn’t encompass the totality of his experience and focused only on his harm, injury and trauma. For Marcus, the term “trauma informed care” was akin to saying, you are the worst thing that ever happened to you. For me, I realized the term slipped into the murky water of deficit based, rather than asset driven strategies to support young people who have been harmed. Without careful consideration of the terms we use, we can create blind spots in our efforts to support young people.

While the term trauma informed care is important, it is incomplete. First, trauma informed care correctly highlights the specific needs for individual young people who have exposure to trauma. However, current formulations of trauma informed care presumes that the trauma is an individual experience, rather than a collective one….

Please read the article here: https://medium.com/@ginwright/the-future-of-healing-shifting-from-trauma-informed-care-to-healing-centered-engagement-634f557ce69c

Basic Income, a Critical Ingredient for Social Enterprise

CASW, shared this article.

A new study from the Mowat Centre in Toronto suggests that a basic income program could encourage people to take the leap and start their own socially conscious businesses.

The study involved surveying and interviewing members of the Centre for Social Innovation, which has sites in Toronto. It indicated that a basic income could give a leg up to people with a bright idea but limited resources to get it off the ground.

“Given our research, we think that a basic income could de-risk social entrepreneurship for people. We think that it could encourage more people from marginalized communities to try social entrepreneurship as a career,” said Michael Crawford Urban, a policy associate at the Mowat Centre and co-author of the report. …

See the rest of the article:http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/social-entrepreneurs-basic-income-1.4131886

See the MOWAT Centre report here: https://mowatcentre.ca/basic-impact/