So... what's an action lab anyway?
|
|
Last week, you received an email inviting you to HIPMC's upcoming two-day Health Equity Action Lab to kick-start collaborative projects that will move us closer to our CHIP goals.
Today, we'll dig deeper into the Action Lab methodology, the projects, and the partners.
|
|
An action lab is a facilitated process that walks participants through setting up a goal and devising a 100-day action plan to achieve that goal.
The intent is to make quick, concrete progress towards long-term goals.
|
|
|
What are the goals, anyway?
Based on the three Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) priorities (Access to Care, Access to Healthy Food, and Early Childhood Development), a group of community partners developed the following goals:
|
|
Access to Care and Early
Childhood Development
Create a closed-loop referral network between providers & social services to address social determinants of health, starting with connecting veterans and their families to housing
|
|
Access to Healthy Food
Increase availability of locally-grown food for those with low income and low food access, starting with connecting South Phoenix residents in need to excess produce grown locally
|
|
 |
Access to Care and Early
Childhood Development
- Veterans or military family members
- People working in housing
- People working in organizations whose services address any social determinants of health
- Providers who address health-related social needs
- People who know of resources available to veterans
- Anyone with an interest in working towards a referral network that connects providers, patients, and services
|
|
|
|
Access to Healthy Food
- Individuals who have low income and low food access and/or are food-insecure
- People working with individuals, families, or children who have low income and low food access and/or are food-insecure
- Farmers or those who work with farmers
- People from food outlets (small or large retail, community-based, etc.)
- People with connections in the South Phoenix community
- Anyone interested in the project
|
|
|
|
What To Expect At The Action Lab
|
Wear your running shoes, because there will be a lot of progress made in a short time.
First, in the plenary session (open to everyone), you'll learn tools to brainstorm, test, and tweak potential solutions to problems.
Then, for anyone joining an Action Lab team, you'll work with your team to identify interim goals and develop an action plan.
|
|
|
Why We Believe This Will Work
|
This process has been implemented by health-focused organizations all across the globe to achieve quick, measurable success that leads to larger goals. It includes ways to adapt as things change during the process without losing momentum towards the goals.
A few samples of how other groups have found success with the process, a similar project, or both:
|
|
|
Partner Spotlight: Crisis Response Network
|
When life is overwhelming, if someone is worried about a loved one, or if someone just needs to talk, Crisis Response Network provides immediate and confidential help. Everyone faces crisis, but no one needs to go through it alone.
Crisis Response Network has the foundation for a centralized referral network that will be at the center of the veterans' housing project.
|
|
|
Partner Spotlight: Orchard Community Learning Center
|
The team at Orchard Community Learning Center believes our community possesses the rich “funds of knowledge” and cultural wealth that are the best resources to address society’s systemic issues. They connect those resources with farming, produce, classes, and more to support a healthy South Phoenix community.
Their existing connection to community members, agriculture, and education puts them at the center of the project to connect local produce to those in need of food.
|
|
|
Housing: Other Things Happening
|
MAG coordinates the Point-in-Time (PIT) Homeless Count, an annual street and shelter count to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County during a given point in time. It serves as a one-night snapshot of homelessness an effort to learn more about the individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. To make a difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness, we need to know who they are, where they are, and understand the factors that led to their homelessness.
|
|
|
Food Access: Other Things Happening
|
ASU is hosting a robust conversation about the connections between health and food called "The Geography of Food and Health." Access to healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate food helps people to live healthy lives and build healthy communities.
Thursday, September 13th at 8:30am
|
|
|
HIPMC | hipmc@mail.maricopa.gov | www.hipmc.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
