Community Engagement: Arriving at Solutions Differently

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Renaissance Toronto Hotel Downtown

One Blue Jays Way, Toronto

Improved health is a shared community goal and health care organizations, more than ever, should seek to gain public trust and support to move forward with the implementation of new models of care, the building of new health care facilities and the introduction of changes to health care delivery. 

Too often, community engagement is identified as “phase” or an “event” in the planning process resulting in crisis-driven strategies and reactive communications, rather than an integral long-term process that fits within the organization’s overall approach to patient and client care.  To develop ongoing constructive relations with their communities, organizations need to develop strategies that employ meaningful, timely engagement with transparent goals clearly communicated to and understood by those engaged.

Conference highlights:            

• What are the biggest challenges when it comes to implementing a community engagement strategy? 

• What are the conditions and drivers for success?

• Learn from the experiences of others about how to implement community engagement tactics

• Participate in a “hands on” exercise and learn how to implement a community engagement plan

By the end of this conference you will be able to:  

• Identify when and why to engage communities

• Construct a successful community engagement strategy

0830h Registration and Continental Breakfast  

0900h Welcoming Remarks and Conference Overview

Rick Edwards, Chair

Director, Community Engagement & Urban Health

St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Toronto    

0905h Overview of Community Engagement 

What are the “big” issues surrounding the implementation of community engagement strategies? 

•  Integrating community engagement into decision-making            

•  Alignment with LHIN community engagement            

•  Availability of tools/ resources/ best practices            

•  Assessing the effectiveness of community engagement 

John Butler      

President, The Agora Group    

Lead Author on the MOHLTC's Health Planner's Toolkit – Module on Community Engagement and Communication  

0940h Community Engagement Live: Stories from the Front Lines of Ontario Health Care              

Christine Clark     

Chief Communication Officer    

Niagara Health System

&

David Brazeau      

Director, Public Affairs and Community Relations Rouge Valley Health System

10200hNetworking and Refreshment Break 

1035h Community Engagement Across the Healthcare Continuum  

•  Engaging diverse populations in different settings              

•  How can different health care providers engage with each other?  

Mental Health Facility Perspective: 

Susan Pigott       

VP, Communications and Community Engagement    

CAMH  

Rehabilitation and Complex Chronic Disease Perspective:  

Christa Haanstra    

Sr. Director of Communications and Public Affairs      

Bloorview Kids Rehab  

Community Support Services Perspective:  

Maureen Fair     

Executive Director      

St. Christopher House 

Community Care Access Centre Perspective:  

Dave Murray     

Chief Executive Officer    

Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre

Primary Care Perspective:  

Dr. Susan Hoffmann   

Medical Doctor     

Access Alliance CHC   

1150h  Networking Luncheon    

1250h Experiences from Another Province  

Public Consultation on The Role of Rural Hospitals – The Saskatchewan Experience  

•  Community engagement – key in health reform. Find out how major health reform was handled in Saskatchewan          

•  Issues unique to engaging rural populations 

Cecile Hunt      

Chief Executive Officer    

Prince Albert Parkland Regional Health Authority     

1330h Interactive Learning Exercise – Community Engagement to Arrive at Solutions Differently  

Facilitator: David Sheridan   

Senior Consultant And Principal  

Shercon Associates Inc.  

The audience will be divided into groups. Each group will represent a health care organization that is faced with implementing a difficult / unpopular or imposed decision (provided by the organizers).  Each group will have 5 min. to present on:

1) The value of engaging the community given a fait accompli
2) A strategy on involving the community to find the best solutions in regards to implementing that decision (Given this decision, what are we going to do together to make the best of it?)  

1445h Networking and Refreshment Break  

1500h Take Home Tools & Tips to Help You With Your Community Engagement Strategy  

Tool Presented: “EPIC – Engaging People Improving Care”, a Website on a Collection of Community Engagement Resources  

Sundeep Sodhi     

Governance Consultant   

Ontario Hospital Association 

Tool Presented: SmartTalk Methodology  

Pam Purves     

Principal      

Purves, Lynch and Associates  

Tip Presented: What it Takes to Make Collaboration Fly?  

Ruth R. Armstrong    

President      

VISION Management 

Tip Presented: Engaging Through Social Media  

Neil Seeman       

Director      

Health Strategy Innovation Cell   

1610h Wrap up & Adjournment for the Day

Rick Edwards, Chair    

Director, Community Engagement & Urban Health      

St. Joseph's Health Centre, Toronto