Posts Tagged ‘Backyard Initiative’
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. Along with that, we realized that the work is not about improving the health of the community, but rather acting as a resource in a way that helps community residents to improve their own health.” (more…)
“Talking in the Backyard” Gardening Grows More than Food
by Ariele Strachan, Cultural Wellness Center The Backyard Initiative (BYI) now has 13 Citizen Health Action Teams (CHATs) implementing health strategies developed by members who are local residents. The Growing the Backyard CHAT was given support by the BYI Community Commission on Health for their Family Garden Project in April of this year and have been working with families on gardening since late May. The Family Garden Project has connected with eight families in the Phillips, Powderhorn, Central, and Corcoran neighborhoods (the Backyard area) and has helped each of them to install a 4x4 foot raised bed garden. The Family Garden Project works with whole families ”” parents, children of all ages, grandparents and other members of the family ”” to make gardening a natural part of everyone”'s day where different gardening activities are less chores and are more activities to bring the family and the community closer together. (more…)
Somali Women”'s Proposal Approved by Commission on Health
By Janice Barbee, Cultural Wellness Center The Backyard Initiative”'s Community Commission on Health approved a proposal of the Somali Women”'s Health Support CHAT (Citizen Health Action Team) on June 2, 2011 to promote communication, understanding, and support among women of the Somali community who have children in the justice system. Their project will educate Somali families about how the justice system works, help to connect women together who have children in the system in order to reduce isolation and social stigma, and help to prevent other children in the community from entering the justice system. The Somali women who presented at the Commission meeting spoke of the difficulty of supporting their children throughout the trial process and incarceration. They also spoke of how their cultural systems of authority, personal accountability, and discipline have been undermined and displaced in the move to the U.S. Understanding the justice system is a crucial first step to rebuilding those systems of authority and supporting their youth. The women plan to create a buddy system where each woman will be linked with another woman when they visit their children in prison and will help each other with transportation. This will create a support system for the women who are now feeling isolated and feel that the legal system is inaccessible and foreign. (more…)
