Cancer Control Strategy Unveiled

One of the things that we heard during the needs assessment was peoples' concern about chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes.  People want to know that Eastern Health and the province are actively working to address high rates of chronic disease in this area.  Yesterday, the provincial government unveiled a provincial cancer control strategy entitled Gaining Ground: A Provincial Cancer Control Policy Framework for Newfoundland and Labrador.  The goal of the strategy is to reduce the incidence and impact of cancer and to improve the quality of life of those living with cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador.  You can read all about the strategy here.

November - A Look at Diabetes

November is Diabetes Awareness Month.  And November 14 is World Diabetes Day.

Did you know that our province of Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest rate of diabetes in Canada? 

According to the 2008 Canadian Community Health Survey, 8.1% of the population over the age of 12 reported being diagnosed by a health professional as having diabetes.  Within our province, that figure is 8.8% while nationally, 5.9% of respondents reported receiving that diagnosis.

During the needs assessment process, many people expressed concern about chronic diseases, particularly diabetes.  They worry about the high rates and indicated a desire to ensure education sessions are available to people in their communities around topics like healthy eating.

Speaking with Health Care Providers

Over the past couple of days, I've been speaking with some health care providers about the needs assessment.  We discuss the questions that I have been asking all focus groups and we also discuss some of the themes that have been coming out of the primary research to date.  We have a couple more of these sessions to hold and organize and then our primary research will be completed.

Heading Towards Recommendations

Focus groups over the past couple of days have occurred in Clarenville, Arnold's Cove, Musgravetown and Hillview.  AT the end of this week, the only focus groups remaining will be the ones with staff, family physicians and medical staff at the Dr. G.B. Cross Memorial Hospital.

Once we have the themes fleshed out, it's time to start focusing on recommendations.  Throughout the process, we've been asking people for possible solutions so we have a starting point.

Busy Week

This is a busy week for the needs assessment.  It started with a focus group last night and we will do another five over the next four days.  In addition to these focus groups, we will be meeting with our Steering Committee and the Advisory Committee.  We are getting close to collecting all of the information and then the hard part of putting it all together begins!

Getting There

We've just set up a number of focus group sessions.  From June 13 to June 22, we'll be holding 8 focus groups.  Some of these will be with family physicians only.  For others, we have invited community stakeholders/partners, health providers in the community and municipal leaders to attend.  Hopefully, we will get good turnout.  The more feedback we have, the better we will be able to respond to concerns. 

After this round of focus groups, we'll spend some time talking to physicians in our acute care and long-term care facilities and staff in this region. 

A Great Afternoon with the Women's Institute

Over the weekend, we were invited to attend a Women's Institute meeting consisting of clubs on the Bonavista Peninsula to Harcourt to speak about the needs assessment process.  It was an excellent opportunity to learn about the Women's Institute and to enjoy an outstanding potluck lunch!

The aim of the Women's Institute, as noted on their website, is: 

The present day Newfoundland and Labrador Women’s Institutes is an informal, educational organization for women to work together to expand their skills, broaden their interests, plan meetings, workshops and conferences, and strengthen the quality of life for themselves, their families and their communities.

The meeting certainly seemed to reflect this aim.  Participants brought along many of the crafts that they had been working on and seemed to thoroughly enjoy each other's friendship.  For Eastern Health, it was an opportunity to let people know how to participate in the needs assessment process.

Telephone Survey Begins

As part of the needs assessment, Eastern Health has begun a telephone survey of residents in the area.  We hope to get 1,000 surveys completed as part of our research.  The questions asked in the survey have to do with the use of health services; satisfaction levels of services; navigating the health and community services system; and community strengths and issues. The survey is about 20 minutes long and if callers call at an inconvenient time, participants can re-schedule for another time.  The survey began Monday, March 22 and response to date has been fairly high. 

Welcome, Advisory Committee

Our Advisory Committee for the Community Health Needs Assessment of the Discovery Zone had its first meeting today. 

Members of the committee are:  (back - left to right)  Bernice Clements, Camilla O'Shea, Gerald Giles, Rev. Don Stiles, Cal Cole; (front - left to right) Barbara Ann Humby, Janet Fisher (Eastern Health), Susan Khaladkar, Lisa Browne (Eastern Health).  Missing from the photo are Daphne Smith and Wayne Miller (Eastern Health).

Our first meeting was an opportunity to introduce everyone and to have a discussion about the determinants of health from the region's perspective.  This committee will meet every six weeks during the needs assessment process.

Reviewing Advisory Committee Applications

The Steering Committee, made up of Eastern Health staff and managers, has reviewed the applications that have come in from people wanting to sit on the Advisory Committee for the needs assessment.  It was a very difficult job, reviewing the applications and putting together a committee that offers lots of different perspectives based on the determinants of health.  We have identified eight people who will be invited to sit on the committee.  Advisory Committee members will be joined by Eastern Health employees Lisa Browne, Planning Specialist, and Janet Fisher, Primary Health Care Co-ordinator.  All those who applied will be contacted within the next few days.  Judging from the applications, there are lots of talented people in our region!  Many thanks to all who applied!

Still in Planning Mode

Most work related to the needs assessment has to do with laying the groundwork to proceed.  We are gathering information about various groups in the region who may be good representatives for focus groups or key informants.  Next week, we will be reviewing the applications for the Advisory Committee. 

Of course, the Discovery Zone needs assessment isn't the only needs assessment currently ongoing.  The Northeast Avalon needs assessment is being drafted and it will be interesting to see the findings from that report.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.