Thursday, January 28, 2010

First Meeting of Steering Committee Takes Place

This afternoon, we had our first meeting of the needs assessment Steering Committee (some members pictured at right).  This committee (not to be confused with the Advisory Committee!) is made up of Eastern Health staff.  Their job is to oversee the needs assessment. 

Today, we talked mostly about getting the groundwork in place:  the terms of reference for the Steering Committee and the terms of reference for the Advisory Committee.  We also reviewed a draft critical path and discussed how we will get people's input (focus groups, interviews, telephone survey).

One of the first tasks of the Steering Committee is to decide who will sit on the Advisory Committee.  Members of the Steering Committee will review the applications and invite people to participate based on the determinants of health and having as diverse a committee as possible.  The review of the applications will take place as soon as possible after the application deadline of Feb. 5.

Community Spotlight: Chance Cove

Chance Cove is a beautiful little community with a population of 325 (2006 Census) with strong historical ties to the fishery.  The 2001 Census has the population of Chance Cove at 335, a decline of 3%. The unemployment rate for May 2006 for people aged 15 and older in Chance Cove was 13.3% while the provincial unemployment rate for that same time period was 18.6%. 

One of the most positive indicators for Chance Cove has to do with education of its residents; 87.2% of resident have a high school diploma, a certificate or degree.  Census 2006 reported 12.8% of people 18 to 64 years of age in Chance Cove do not have a high school diploma compared to 25.1% of people in the entire province. 

Chance Cove is home to a beautiful hiking trail along the shoreline and offers spectacular views.  Pictured at left is a summer view from the trail at Green Head.  Pictured above is Chance Cove's Municipal Building (with post office).

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Great Interest in the Advisory Committee


There seems to be lots of interest in the Advisory Committee.  Great stuff!  So far, there have been two applications submitted and others have indicated that they will be submitting theirs by the deadline of February 5.  Of course, the hardest thing about getting a lot of responses is having to decide who sits on the committee.  The needs assessment Steering Committee (comprised of staff and managers of Eastern Health) will review the applications and try to decide on which combination of people will make up the most diverse group representing the determinants of health.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Frequently Asked Questions About Advisory Committees


Yesterday's post was the ad that we are running to invite community residents to participate on the Advisory Committee associated with the Discovery Zone Community Health Needs Assessment.  We have put together some questions and answers that people have about sitting on such a committee. Take a look and see if this experience is for you!

Why are you advertising for individuals to sit on an Advisory Committee?When we conduct needs assessments, we set up Advisory Committees to assist with the process. This has worked well for our past needs assessments.

What is the purpose of the Advisory Committee?
The purpose of the committee (and the role they’ve played during previous needs assessments) is to provide advice and feedback on the process (how we are going about the assessment) that we use in the needs assessments. We also ask Advisory Committee participants to provide feedback on the findings of the needs assessment results.

You’re looking for people with experience in particular areas, such as employment, social support networks and physical environment. Why?
We know that there are a number of factors that influence the health of a person. These factors interact with each other to have an impact on our health and well-being. These are called the ‘determinants of health.’ Having people around the table who have experience/knowledge of these factors is helpful.

What are Advisory Committee members expected to do?
We are asking that people be prepared to attend at least four meetings and to be prepared to provide advice and feedback on the process and the findings of the assessment. In addition to the meetings, it is likely that additional contact will be made through e-mail or phone.

Will you be paying people to participate?
No. It is a volunteer position. However, we can pay mileage or other transportation costs for Advisory Committee members to attend meetings.

When do you expect the needs assessment process to conclude?
We expect we will have a public release of the report in the Fall of 2010.

Once the needs assessment report is complete, will there be a role for the Advisory Committee?
With past needs assessments, the Board of Trustees has publicly reported back to the community on the status of the report’s recommendations two years after the release of the report. In those situations, the Advisory Committee was invited back to hear about the status.

What happens to the report once it is completed?
The report and its findings and recommendations are used throughout the organization and the report is a public document that is a great resource to community groups. With past needs assessments, the Board of Trustees received progress reports on the implementation of the recommendations every 6 months. Two years after the release of the reports we went back to the communities to let them know about the progress.

If I apply to be on the Committee am I guaranteed to sit on it?
No. We appreciate the interest of everyone who would like to participate on the committee. We would like to have a committee that is diverse and includes people from various backgrounds with knowledge/information about various determinants of health.

If I don’t get asked to sit on the Advisory Committee can I still participate somehow?
Yes. Part of the needs assessment will include a lot of opportunities to make your views known. For example, you could be asked to sit in on a focus group or to participate in an interview. We will also be inviting written/oral submissions from people.

I’d like to apply to sit on the Advisory Committee. How do I go about doing it?
Complete an Advisory Committee Application Form (contact Lisa at 466-5863 or needsassessment@easternhealth.ca to receive a copy) by February 5.  The application form can be completed in writing or arrangements can be made for it to be completed verbally.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Looking for Advisory Committee Members

For each of the needs assessments completed by Eastern Health, we have established an Advisory Committee, consisting of people who live in the area being assessed.  Here's the ad that is currently in the media:

Eastern Health is starting a community health needs assessment of the Discovery Zone region (Bonavista Peninsula to Port Blandford to Swift Current to Chapel Arm).

As part of the process, an Advisory Committee will be set up. This committee will be asked to give advice and feedback on the process and findings of the assessment.

We are looking for people to sit on the Advisory Committee who have an interest and experience in the “determinants of health”. The determinants of health are all the things that affect the health of a person or a community overall, such as employment and working conditions, child development, support networks, income, or the physical environment.

Applications must be received by February 5. To apply and for more information, please contact::  Lisa Browne, Eastern Health, Park Place, 50A Manitoba Dr, Clarenville, NL, A5A 1K5, needsassessment@easternhealth.ca
466-5863 (p) 466-6343 (f)

The purpose of the committee (and the role they’ve played during previous needs assessments) is to provide advice and feedback on the process that we use in the needs assessments. We also ask Advisory Committee participants to provide feedback on the findings of the needs assessment results.

Pictured here is the Advisory Committee from the Burin Peninsula Community Health Needs Assessment.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Meetings Held in Bonavista and Come-By-Chance

Today, we held meetings in Bonavista and Come-By-Chance to let our community partners know about our needs assessment.  Both sessions were very well attended with about 30 people showing up in Bonavista and about 15 in Come-By-Chance. 

I think the sessions were well-received and people are looking forward to participating in the process.  There seems to be a lot of interest in the Advisory Committee that we are setting up for the needs assessment - more on that next week.

In the meantime, here's a couple of photos from the session in Bonavista (top) and the one in Come-By-Chance.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Clarenville Meeting Held


Eastern Health officials met with community partners today in Clarenville to explain the needs assessment process.  We had a good turnout with about 50 people.  The presentations started with Michael O'Keefe, Chair, Board of Trustees (his first official function!).  Mr. O'Keefe welcomed people to the event and explained the importance of needs assessments.  The Vice-President of Planning, Quality and Research, Wayne Miller, spoke about previous needs assessments that Eastern Health completed.  Finally, Lisa Browne who will be project managing this initiatve, spoke about the process to be used.  Tomorrow, we meet with community partners in Bonavista (9:30 am at Harbour Quarters Inn) and Come-By-Chance (1:30 pm at the Recreation Centre) to spread the word there!  More pictures of the launch are on our Facebook site - Discovery Needs Assessment. (Please note you do not need to be a registered Facebook user to access this site).

Media Release Issued


Eastern Health just distributed the following media release regarding the needs assessment:

Eastern Health Conducts Community Health Needs Assessment for Discovery Zone

January 21, 2010 – St. John’s, NL – Eastern Health today announced it will be conducting a community health needs assessment in the Discovery Zone, also known as Economic Zone 15. The areas under review are the Bonavista to Port Blandford to Swift Current to Chapel Arm area.

Local community organizations, service providers and partners of Eastern Health will be invited to express opinions on the strengths and challenges facing their communities, priorities for service, and ideas about initiatives to enhance the health and well-being in their area.

“We have found that the needs assessments completed in other areas have been very well received,” says Michael O'Keefe, Board Chairperson for Eastern Health. “Eastern Health’s vision of Healthy People, Healthy Communities emphasizes the importance of working with communities to identify needs and opportunities for partnerships.”

“As part of the process, we are inviting people in the area to express an interest on sitting on an Advisory Committee,” says Mr. O’Keefe. “This committee will provide advice and feedback on the process that we use in the needs assessments.” Information about how to apply to be a member of the Advisory Committee is available at www.DiscoveryNeedsAssessment.blogspot.com. The blog was created to keep the public informed about the assessment.

Feedback from community residents will be sought through focus groups, key informant interviews and a telephone survey. Written and oral submissions are also welcome.

A community health needs assessment is an information tool that can help Eastern Health understand the health status, characteristics, perceptions and concerns of communities. Eastern Health has completed a number of needs assessments to date, including ones on the Burin Peninsula, the Southern Avalon and Bell Island. These reports are available on Eastern Health’s website at www.easternhealth.ca. An assessment of the Northeast Avalon is currently underway.

Picture:  Eastern Health VP Wayne Miller being interviewed by Packet reporter Laura Button.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Launch Tomorrow!


Typically, Eastern Health has launched needs assessments by inviting community partners to come together to an informational meeting about how the needs assessment will unfold and ways they will be able to participate.  For the Discovery Zone, these meetings will take place tomorrow in Clarenville and in Bonavista and Come-By-Chance on Friday.  We have invited almost 300 of our community partners to the sessions.  After these meetings are completed, we will then start to ask for the input of community residents.  We've had good response to date with about 90 people confirming their attendance so far.

There is some snow in the forecast for tomorrow but only about 5-8 centimetres for this area so it shouldn't have too much of an impact here.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

What's the Discovery Zone?

The Discovery Zone is a geographic area that covers the Bonavista Peninsula to Port Blandford to Swift Current to Chapel Arm.  The Discovery Zone is also known as Economic Zone 15.  The 2006 Census has the population of this region at 28,355.  This is a decrease of 5.1% since the 2001 Census.  During the needs assessment, we will be looking at some of the economic and social issues around the area but in the meantime, here's some interesting tidbits:
Did you know?

The Town of Port Union is the only union-built town in North America and is a treasure of heritage.
The Town of Bonavista is where modern North America began, on June 24, 1497 when Italian explorer Giovani Cabota made landfall.
The province's only oil refinery is located at Come-By-Chance and was built in 1971-73.  Today it is one of the largest employers in the region.
Pat Murphy's Meadow, the beloved folksong by J.M. Devine, is in King's Cove!
Piper's Hole River in Swift Current is a popular place for whitewater kayaking.
Ray Guy, one of the province's most profilic writers, grew up in Arnold's Cove.
There are three Chambers of Commerce in the region:  Clarenville Area; Arnold's Cove Area and Bonavista Area.
The causeway to Random Island was built in 1952.
The Town of Clarenville is one of ten communities in Canada participating in an Age-Friendly Rural and Remote Initiative. 
The area around Musgravetown and Lethbridge is well-known for its fertile farm land.

What interesting facts about the area do you know about the Discovery Zone?

Monday, January 18, 2010

Welcome!


As part of its commitment to the vision Healthy People, Healthy Communities, Eastern Health is starting a community health needs assessment of the Discovery Region (Economic Zone 15). Needs assessments provide detailed information about the health of people in their communities and what impacts their health. It also provides an opportunity to talk with and listen to community groups and individuals in order to understand what a community feels it needs in order to be healthy.

Eastern Health has completed needs assessments for the Burin Peninsula, the Southern Avalon and Bell Island. An assessment of the Northeast Avalon is currently ongoing.

The Discovery Zone needs assesssment will be launched in mid-January 2010. We'll be blogging regularly at that time.