A Community and Institution Partnership to Improve the Health and Health Care Experience of the Residents of the “Backyard” Area

By Janice Barbee, Cultural Wellness Center

The partners in the Backyard Initiative all see the partnership itself as a major accomplishment of the Initiative.

The Partnership Consists of Two Partners:

Atum Azzahir is the Executive Director of the Cultural Wellness Center, the community organization that is charged with engaging residents in the Backyard Initiative. She and her staff facilitate the meetings and support the work of the teams of residents in their health improvement projects, called Citizen Health Action Teams (CHATs). She states that the partnership between Allina and the community around Allina headquarters (the “Backyard”) is nothing short of “revolutionary.” She says she often hears community residents express their appreciation and gratitude for what Allina has learned through this partnership and for staying at the table.

The partnership consists of Allina Hospitals and Clinics, the Cultural Wellness Center, Hope Community, Portico, and the residents of the neighborhoods around Allina headquarters, including the four neighborhoods of Phillips, Powderhorn Park, Central, and Corcoran. What stands out in everyone”'s mind is the way a major health institution has listened to and supported the leadership of community residents as they take responsibility for their health and the health of the entire community.

Community residents often quote what Ellie Zuehlke, Allina”'s Director of Community Benefit said at a community meeting: “Pretty early in the initiative, there was a fundamental shift away from viewing the community as being in Allina”'s “Backyard” to recognizing that Allina is in the backyard of this community.… Read the rest “A Community and Institution Partnership to Improve the Health and Health Care Experience of the Residents of the “Backyard” Area”