The core of the Sterling initiative is to develop a health program that is completely based on what the community says it needs. All too often, professional medicine approaches communities with an attitude suggesting that practitioners already know the problems and the solutions because of their training, metrics and strategic/payee requirements in the business and political spheres. This is perceived as both patronizing and ignorant by the community and, as a result, is significantly ineffective.
In my time in Sterling, I have learned there is always more to learn than there is to share, and the community has been exceedingly patient and wonderfully open to this collaborative approach to identifying their priorities and working on them together.
Sterling
Sterling Initiatives
As my work with individuals and groups through the Sterling Community Center has taught me, the community’s voice is not being heard through the existing channels in the healthcare and community’s traditional vehicles. Velo Valets Gives Back with partner with Dr. Arelis Moore De Peralta of Clemson University, and work to develop an appropriate team to work with the community to design and execute their own survey, to measure what their key health and nutrition concerns are, and what forms of intervention they desire.
Velo Valets Gives Back will foster this work to assure the community is the driver and the passenger of this effort, and will safeguard their priorities and outcomes are what is communicated through the initial survey, and any subsequent focus groups and/or charrettes.
We are aware that many community needs assessments and other measurement tools have been executed in the area, and will compile as many of these documents as will be made available to us from organizations including GHS’ Coordinated Care Institute, Furman University, Clemson University, and organizations like LiveWell Greenville and United Way, so as not to duplicate efforts.
The need here is not driven by payee systems, and this interest is not motivated by those soon-to-be-employed by the healthcare system, which will demand “alignment with core initiatives,” which all too often means a reduction in the cost of delivery for population health business models.
This effort is being put forward to deter what the resident want and believe they need, outside of the influence of the structures that have the resources to provide them. It may result in un-deliverable outcomes, but being heard, having a voice making it to the take, is of utmost importance.
We are actively recruiting like-minded professionals to volunteer in these areas:
- Survey methodology and management
- Focus group and consumer marketing
- Academic and public archival research
- Presentation graphics specialist
- Medical transcription and creative writing
- Healthcare/consumer-payee access specialists