One Link at a Time
Last time, I left you with a quote about change...Now I'd like to start with this quote as it describes the professional lessons in patience and reminders to celebrate each success:
Last time, I left you with a quote about change...Now I'd like to start with this quote as it describes the professional lessons in patience and reminders to celebrate each success:
"It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time." - Winston Churchill
Change defines health care right now as you saw in my last post. Nicole and I had the privilege of attending the SVHC Equinox Circle in October where we heard Dr. Gregg Meyer, M.D., Chief Clinical Officer and Executive Vice President of Population Health of Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Meyer focused on the shift from fee-for-service to value based care. He stated that organizations must engage the community and adopt wellness as a focus instead of sickness and treatment in order to be successful.
At the end of October, Nicole and I also attended a conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Hospital Association and the New England Society for Healthcare Communications: "Influencing Population Health: Making the Case for Wellness & Prevention." The speakers and panelists at the conference echoed what Meyer stated: change is here and it is time to adapt. This MHA conference featured some of the organizations across New England that are leading the shift to adopting a culture of wellness and utilizing social media in clinical care. We saw cases where Facebook has been used to engage consumers in wellness programs effectively, apps being developed that utilize gamification to improve care for teenage transplant patients, and organizations engaging their employees in shaping efforts to build a healthier workforce.
I am always inspired by the work that community members are doing to make Bennington a healthier place to live. All of the task forces from The Vermont Council on Rural Development, the Alliance for Community Transformations, and all other non-profit, service organizations working to make Bennington a healthier place to live are building capacity, building a better future, and strengthening our community one link at a time.
Updates
November has been a wild month! It started off with an awesome VISTA Thanksgiving dinner that Nicole and I hosted! (We cooked a three-legged turkey breast instead of a whole bird but it was still delicious!)
ACT had its second successful meeting on Nov. 15! The focus of the meeting was to further define and brainstorm projects for each of the work groups: Healthy and Active Living, Youth Engagement and Empowerment, Healthy Community Design, Substance Abuse and Tobacco Prevention, and Organizational Leadership and Sustainability. Great American Smokeout efforts on Nov. 15 at the hospital and throughout the county at community partners and schools were successful! Working collaboratively, we garnered many pledges to quit smoking or support smokers in their attempt to quit.
Finally, we have met with our Youth Ambassadors and they are in the process of completing the SVHC volunteer process! We worked with our six Youth Ambassadors to come up with an exhibit at the Festival of Trees at the Bennington Museum. Festival of Trees is a community created event where holiday trees are decorated by local non-profits, businesses, and organizations. The festival kicks off tomorrow, Saturday Nov. 24 with Family Day and will be available until Dec. 30.
The Alliance for Community Transformations (ACT) Youth Ambassador Program vignette is titled "Celebrating the Culture of Bennington from the Youth's Perspective." We asked the Youth Ambassadors what they felt represented the culture of Bennington, and what should be celebrated about Bennington. Their responses were depicted in words and pictures, and historical photographs of Bennington from the Museum's collection were added to create the final exhibit.
In addition, it's been over three months and I still have not seen a moose! I'm not going to lose hope for a sighting in the next three quarters of my year of service!
I'm encountering the future in numerous ways professionally and personally right now. Most days, I wish change in my life could be as fleeting as the Leonid meteor shower that I watched this weekend from Hogback Mountain. Alas, change is the only constant in life... we might as well embrace it!
Change defines health care right now as you saw in my last post. Nicole and I had the privilege of attending the SVHC Equinox Circle in October where we heard Dr. Gregg Meyer, M.D., Chief Clinical Officer and Executive Vice President of Population Health of Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Meyer focused on the shift from fee-for-service to value based care. He stated that organizations must engage the community and adopt wellness as a focus instead of sickness and treatment in order to be successful.
At the end of October, Nicole and I also attended a conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Hospital Association and the New England Society for Healthcare Communications: "Influencing Population Health: Making the Case for Wellness & Prevention." The speakers and panelists at the conference echoed what Meyer stated: change is here and it is time to adapt. This MHA conference featured some of the organizations across New England that are leading the shift to adopting a culture of wellness and utilizing social media in clinical care. We saw cases where Facebook has been used to engage consumers in wellness programs effectively, apps being developed that utilize gamification to improve care for teenage transplant patients, and organizations engaging their employees in shaping efforts to build a healthier workforce.
I am always inspired by the work that community members are doing to make Bennington a healthier place to live. All of the task forces from The Vermont Council on Rural Development, the Alliance for Community Transformations, and all other non-profit, service organizations working to make Bennington a healthier place to live are building capacity, building a better future, and strengthening our community one link at a time.
Updates
November has been a wild month! It started off with an awesome VISTA Thanksgiving dinner that Nicole and I hosted! (We cooked a three-legged turkey breast instead of a whole bird but it was still delicious!)
ACT had its second successful meeting on Nov. 15! The focus of the meeting was to further define and brainstorm projects for each of the work groups: Healthy and Active Living, Youth Engagement and Empowerment, Healthy Community Design, Substance Abuse and Tobacco Prevention, and Organizational Leadership and Sustainability. Great American Smokeout efforts on Nov. 15 at the hospital and throughout the county at community partners and schools were successful! Working collaboratively, we garnered many pledges to quit smoking or support smokers in their attempt to quit.
Finally, we have met with our Youth Ambassadors and they are in the process of completing the SVHC volunteer process! We worked with our six Youth Ambassadors to come up with an exhibit at the Festival of Trees at the Bennington Museum. Festival of Trees is a community created event where holiday trees are decorated by local non-profits, businesses, and organizations. The festival kicks off tomorrow, Saturday Nov. 24 with Family Day and will be available until Dec. 30.
The Alliance for Community Transformations (ACT) Youth Ambassador Program vignette is titled "Celebrating the Culture of Bennington from the Youth's Perspective." We asked the Youth Ambassadors what they felt represented the culture of Bennington, and what should be celebrated about Bennington. Their responses were depicted in words and pictures, and historical photographs of Bennington from the Museum's collection were added to create the final exhibit.
In addition, it's been over three months and I still have not seen a moose! I'm not going to lose hope for a sighting in the next three quarters of my year of service!
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This is the view from Hogback Mountain! You can see for 100 miles from the overlook into Massachusetts and New Hampshire |
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