SILOS TO SOLUTIONS October 21, 2015

How many of you are from community organizations? How many of you come from organizations that are part of a network? How many of you are in leadership positions? Do you think you are a good collaborator? GETTING TO KNOW YOU

OUR OBJECTIVES Share our journey of coming together in a voluntary network Share our experience: As leaders As members The role of leadership in collaboration from our perspective

AGENDA About Us Who We Serve Our Journey Lessons Learned

What is Solutions? WHAT IS SOLUTIONS?

Building relationships and establishing trust takes time THE BEGINNINGS Desire to Collaborate Environmental Pressures Collaborate vs. Compete Practical reason for getting together Partners for Health Voluntary Courage Leaders are not always the best collaborators

WHO WE ARE Active Since Longer than government mandated networks Voluntary partnership comprised of East Toronto Organizations Working Together For Our Client’s Needs Improving Care Transitions Addressing Gaps Addressing Provincial Health-Care Priorities

Community Health Centres Other Primary Care Community Support Agencies Community Care Access Centres Community Mental Health Long-Term Care EMS Public Health Hospitals collaboration WHO WE ARE

OUR CONTEXT All member organizations have separate governance Ontario is the only province without single governance model Local Health Integration Networks: 2006 Health Links: 2013

Who We Serve

Diverse mix of neighbourhoods: From older, established to many that change rapidly, often home to many immigrants and newcomers. 40% of the neighbourhoods in Toronto identified as key improvement areas. WHO WE SERVE

Low income populations. High proportions of immigrants and visible minorities. Steadily growing proportion of seniors; 1/3 living alone. 5 times as many low income moms and babies as high income. High numbers of children and youth. High number of doctors >55 years old WHO WE SERVE Demographics

Health conditions in our community: High disability rates. High premature mortality rates. High incidence of chronic disease including diabetes, asthma & heart disease. Low rates of access to screening for health prevention. High rates of mental health and addictions issues. WHO WE SERVE Health characteristics

Our Journey

OUR JOURNEY 2002 Procedural Framework MRSA Infection Control

OUR JOURNEY 2003 Primary Care Project 2002

OUR JOURNEY 2004 Healthy Connections: Call for an Urban Health LHIN

OUR JOURNEY 2005 Community Referrals by EMS (CREMS)

OUR JOURNEY 2008 Healthy Connections: Health Equity

OUR JOURNEY 2010 Healthy Connections: Self Managing Care Inventory of Falls Prevention Program

OUR JOURNEY 2013 Healthy Connections: Health Links & Beyond PATH Project

OUR JOURNEY 2014 Learning Management System Partnership (LMS) Infection Prevention Project Smoking Cessation Pilot Project

OUR JOURNEY 2015 Healthy Connections: Community Hubs Fostering an LGBTQ Inclusive Environment Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) Collaborative Planning

Lessons Learned

Three main elements sustain the network: LESSONS LEARNED PROCESS RELATIONSHIPS STRUCTURE

LESSONS LEARNED PROCESS Focus on meaningful, practical projects Defined community Member organizations come together for unique projects Use education to build cohesion and commitment

LESSONS LEARNED PROCESS Provide start up funding Change is incremental and occurs through building teams and learning about each other Engagement of additional partners is faciliated by collaborative Academic Networks

RELATIONSHIPS LESSONS LEARNED Allow time to build relationships and trust Organizational and leadership commitment Insist that senior leaders be at the table Distributed leadership model Willingness to share

RELATIONSHIPS LESSONS LEARNED Voluntary nature of the collaborative Extends beyond LHIN Take time to onboard new members Membership endured despite leadership changes

LESSONS LEARNED STRUCTURE Incorporated organization provides backbone Focus on Projects vs Governance Partners for Health Secures and holds funds Procedural framework Shared vision, clarity of language Goals, decision making, membership, etc.

LESSONS LEARNED STRUCTURE Rotating co-chairs Lead organization provides infrastructure support Regular planning sessions Equity All organizations pay nominal membership fees

Collaboration takes time, commitment and determination Diversity of organizations and leaders enables innovation REFLECTIONS Collaboration makes our organizations stronger and nimble which helps our collective community Collaborative effort helped us stay ahead of where system is going Government mandated inter-organizational collaboration is different from voluntary participation in a network

REFLECTIONS Working together allows networks to be ready - opportunistically to take advantage quickly Partner with discreet members of the collaborative, outside of formal group There are positive and successful partnerships and some that are not…….appreciate and leverage ones that work Trouble shoot with someone you developed a relationship with or can bring to table if many organizations are impacted Get to know who in the collaborative you can count on to do what

WHAT IS NEXT FOR SOLUTIONS? Trust and relationships are the foundation of any partnership Solutions has a track record of working collaboratively across the system Can we use our journey and lessons learned to further enhance the lives of the community we serve?

QUESTIONS?

Lynne Raskin Chief Executive Officer South Riverdale Community Health Centre Glen Moorhouse Chief Executive Officer Nisbet Lodge Wolf Klassen Vice President, Program Support Toronto East General Hospital CONTACT US

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