Fall Semester: Florence, Italy: Two Weeks Until my Departure!: "Well I cannot tell you how bad I want these two weeks to fly by. I'm bored and am very excited to arrive in Italy. I've packed (light, I thi..."
Tash I am trying to be part of your Link a saurus blogus...
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Is there a middle way?
One of the things we’ve been learning about in the past week is the difference between individualism and collectivism. Dominant western culture can be categorized as individualistic, “meaning that the most common psychosocial unit of operation is the individual, not the group. Individualistic societies believe that the needs of the group are satisfied when the needs of the individual are satisfied” (Marsiglia & Kulis, 2009, p. 178-179). I do not believe that when the needs of an individual are met the needs of society are met. This is evidenced in the lack of basic healthcare, access to equal education, and affordable housing in the United States, to name a few. I think that we can learn from collectivist societies, which “believe that the individual needs are met when the group’s needs are met” (Marsiglia & Kulis, 2009, p. 178-179). I think that this individualistic culture in which we live has led us to being greedy, selfish and caring more about having things than loving people.
Now, I’m not proposing that individuals should not have the freedom to choose who they are, how they want to be in the world, or what they believe or think; I’m proposing that perhaps there is a middle ground where we think less about how something is going to affect “me”, and more about how is something going to affect all of “us” as a country, state, city and community.
Our individualistic culture in America has led to an uneven distribution of wealth. One of the news items I submitted for this class was an article written by Michael Moore about how “400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer ‘bailout’ of 2008, now have as much loot, stock and property as the assets of 155 million Americans combined” (Moore, 2011). Our society of individualism is costing us our collective wellbeing.
What do you think?
Marsiglia, F. F., & Kulis, S. (2009). Diversity, oppression and change: culturally grounded social work. Chicago, IL Lyceum Books, Inc.
Moore, M. (2011, April 27). America is not broke. Retrieved from http://www.truth-out.org/michael-moore-america-is-not-broke68265
Friday, February 5, 2010
Agenda: Feb. 8th 4:30-6 PM
- Review vision/mission
- Student Success Day Feb. 18th
- Organizational Structure/Business Model based on MnSCU Policy 3.30.1
Same room as before. Please email me if you want the full policy before the meeting.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Blog
I have opened the blog so that everyone can view it without having to sign in, so that means it is open to the public to view as well. Be mindful with your posts :)
Meeting Monday, January 25th 4:30 PM
This date seemed to work for everyone. We will meet Monday, January 25th from 4:30-6:00 PM in T.2000. It is behind the coffee cart on the 2nd floor of the T-building right next to Boynton Health Services!
Our first objective is to form and institutionalize an advisory committee by the end of April 2010 (we have a deadline). We want you all involved in this process so that together we can create the foundation upon which we can continue our work to bring universal health and wellness to MCTC and the Loring Park Community.
The topic for this first meeting is to define our:
Vision (a verbal picture of who we are; values, aspirations, beliefs)
Mission (how we work and what we do)
SWOT analysis to determine Leverages/Liabilitites
Please save February 8th, March 8th, and April 12th (all Monday's) from 4:30-6:00 PM for furthur meetings to accomplish our first objective.
Thanks!
Our first objective is to form and institutionalize an advisory committee by the end of April 2010 (we have a deadline). We want you all involved in this process so that together we can create the foundation upon which we can continue our work to bring universal health and wellness to MCTC and the Loring Park Community.
The topic for this first meeting is to define our:
Vision (a verbal picture of who we are; values, aspirations, beliefs)
Mission (how we work and what we do)
SWOT analysis to determine Leverages/Liabilitites
Please save February 8th, March 8th, and April 12th (all Monday's) from 4:30-6:00 PM for furthur meetings to accomplish our first objective.
Thanks!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Upcoming Meetings and Topics
Objective: To create and institutionalize an "advisory board" made up of students, faculty, staff, Boynton Health Services, and the Loring Park Community, which will sustain ongoing efforts in community health services and programs.
Dates have not been selected yet, but the topics are as follows to get this accomplished by our April deadline:
January: Vision/Mission and SWOT
February: Strategies for Leverages and Liabilities from SWOT
March: Organizational Structure
April: Business Model for an institutionalized organization
Also, in February a community conversation around homelessness and hunger and on April 14th the MCTC Health Fair. More details to come.
Dates have not been selected yet, but the topics are as follows to get this accomplished by our April deadline:
January: Vision/Mission and SWOT
February: Strategies for Leverages and Liabilities from SWOT
March: Organizational Structure
April: Business Model for an institutionalized organization
Also, in February a community conversation around homelessness and hunger and on April 14th the MCTC Health Fair. More details to come.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Minutes from 1/8/10 from Jan
Boynton Health Service at MCTC in Loring Park
Meeting Notes, January 7, 2010, Joe’s Garage, 10 am to noon
Present
From Boynton: Carl Anderson (Manager), Ed Ehlinger (Director), Joan Warne (MCTC Nurse)
From MCTC: Cathy Geist (Faculty, Conservation Biology), Lena Jones (Faculty, Soc Sc & Civic Engagement), Greg Mellas (Faculty, Student Learning), Jennifer in Mason (Faculty, Student Affairs), Diane Scovill (Faculty, Health and Phy Ed), Aaron Spiegel (Student Leader)
From Loring Park Community: Becky Gullickson (Citizens for Loring Park Community; Nurse), Jan Hively (U of M retiree; Healthy Place, Healthy People)
Expectations
Greg Mellas facilitated the discussion. Greg asked for a statement of expectations, short term and long term, along with introductions.
Short-term
Status report
Broad-based involvement of departments, community assets
Interaction between MCTC faculty and U of M faculty
Involvement of Center for Civic Engagement
Efficient operation of the clinic: matching up student needs with clinic functions in a new space
Promotion of services to assure adequate clientele
Long-term
Model for University in Community; customize activities to met community needs
Stronger partnerships – MCTC and CLPC, students and residents, faculty and administration, U and MCTC, etc.
Interdisciplinary curriculum viewed through broad lens of health; bridge between the environmental health and human health
Political action for policies/programs/funding needed to assure access for all to health care
Intergenerational collaboration to build a sustainable community
Balance between use and service to assure efficient, sustainable clinic operation
Clinic operation that meets MCTC’s carbon neutral goals addressing issues of climate change
History and Status Report
Aaron’s Story. When Aaron stopped to help a student who had fallen, he was told that she would not seek medical help because she was a single parent with responsibilities, no money, and no health insurance. Working with another student leader, Charles Ryerson, Aaron found out that there had been a prior plan to start a clinic that had fallen through. He and Charles started from scratch, looking for examples of health services in MN colleges. They also surveyed 1,000 MCTC students, one-third of whom had no insurance and one-third were under-insured. Students said they were willing to pay per credit for health care. Health providers were not interested in bringing in a service that they felt would not be lucrative. Meetings with Boynton moved ahead.
Ed’s Story. Boynton had completed surveys of MnSCU institutions that showed how students are underserved statewide. Research has shown that students well served with health care learn better, get better grades, and show better rates of retention. The U of MN’s outreach is statewide. Boynton received the U of M Provost’s blessing to work with MCTC and consider how Boynton might extend its service. Ed see this as a public health model (not a medical care model) – part of a comprehensive effort to improve the health of everybody – in this case, the students and staff in the MCTC/Loring Park community.
Carl’s Story. Since opening in November, Boynton at MCTC provides convenience care on a mini-clinic walk-in basis three afternoons a week. In the morning, staff meets patients in a primary care model for which students make appointments for exams, contraceptives, etc. The group is developing partnerships to support referrals for services not available at Boynton. The staff includes two physicians’ assistants, a nurse practitioner, and a receptionist. Joan will join the staff next month as a nurse. Carl is working with MCTC on the build-out of new space in the back of Helland Hall. Carl would like 20,000 square feet to include optional spaces for additional functions such as a pharmacy, mental health, etc. Student fees and health insurance payments and out-of-pocket fees are scheduled to cover the costs. However, the student fees at MCTC run $25 a year whereas they run $260 a year at the U, where health insurance is mandatory. The goal for all is that the students be involved as co-producers of their own health.
Assets and Challenges
Greg suggested that planning for the future should build on assets and address challenges.
Assets (examples)
Women’s Club
Citizens for Loring Park Community
Healthy Place, Healthy People (a Community Earth Council for the Loring Park community through which youngers and elders work together to address community health issues).
WAY
MCTC Science Division – Environmental Club/Greenhouse
Sodexho (Jeff Johnson) – Food Service
Nursing Program, Allied Health Professions
Addiction Counseling, other student outreach services (MaryAnn Prado)
Etc.
Challenges (examples)
Involvement of MCTC Administration – fits with interdisciplinary, multigenerational mission
Raising awareness of U of MN students residing in Loring Park community
Increasing involvement of existing stakeholders
Insurance issues
Promotion of services/marketing
No comparable existing model
Concern of private health care providers about competition
Reflection/Next Steps
Funding. The clinic is a business enterprise that must pay for itself. There are three routes to sustainability: a) raising student fees --- a topic to broad after demonstrating the program’s utility; b) following an entrepreneurial track – for example, by finding space for a pharmacy; and/or c) moving toward mandatory insurance.
At the U of M, all students enrolling for six credits or more must have health care insurance. The University self-funds the insurance program, which is 25% cheaper than a comparable private insurance plan. Full insurance costs $1600 a year for a student (about $110 a month). The insurance is an eligible cost for student financial aid programs. The cost is built into the overall annual cost of education. MnSCU is being lobbied to require mandatory insurance. Now, if the local unit of MnSCU wants it, they can have it. If the students at the local unit want it, they can have it. Ed has made the case that mandatory insurance attracts and retains students. By keeping more students in school, it ends up lowering the cost of education.
Outreach/Support.
Health Fair. Diane suggested using the Health Fair scheduled for April 14 to demonstrate how all the parts can work together. There are 60+ vendors who generate this most highly attended MCTC event. It will connect with Healthy Place, Healthy People as a Wellness Fest.
Sustainability Fair. Cathy suggested connecting the Clinic and big picture of Health with the Sustainability Fair that also is scheduled in the spring.
National outreach. Jan is describing Healthy Place, Healthy People in a workshop on intergenerational collaboration for sustainable communities at the national conference of the Am Society on Aging in March. Greg will integrate this work in a grant project sponsored by the Center for Intergenerational Learning at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Advisory Council. At the U of M, Boynton as an advisory group. Long term, as the clinic user group expands to include staff and then, hopefully, community residents, an advisory group should be formed.
Task Force
For the growth and sustainability of Boynton at MCTC, we need a comprehensive plan for outreach and promotion. The task would be to identify priority areas for planning, with a leader for each priority area. Each leader would be responsible for involving key stakeholders and drafting an action plan (who, what, when and performance goals/outcomes). Examples of priority areas:
Marketing materials
One-on-ones with departments
Co-curricular activities
Student Life/Student government
The task force could comprise those who are present today plus a couple other key resources: Boynton Marketing person, Marketing person, MCTC Administrator (Jami Hollenbeck), and ??
Aaron and Diane will co-chair the task force. (We need a title for its work.) Following suggestions from the group’s meeting evaluation, the participants want to break up the work into pieces and do the work efficiently in the shortest possible amount of time.
Jennifer will develop a blog for the task force participants to keep track of the activity and try out new ideas.
Next meeting the last week of January. Diane and Aaron will be in touch with you.
Jan Hively
612-379-4124
hivel001@umn.edu
Meeting Notes, January 7, 2010, Joe’s Garage, 10 am to noon
Present
From Boynton: Carl Anderson (Manager), Ed Ehlinger (Director), Joan Warne (MCTC Nurse)
From MCTC: Cathy Geist (Faculty, Conservation Biology), Lena Jones (Faculty, Soc Sc & Civic Engagement), Greg Mellas (Faculty, Student Learning), Jennifer in Mason (Faculty, Student Affairs), Diane Scovill (Faculty, Health and Phy Ed), Aaron Spiegel (Student Leader)
From Loring Park Community: Becky Gullickson (Citizens for Loring Park Community; Nurse), Jan Hively (U of M retiree; Healthy Place, Healthy People)
Expectations
Greg Mellas facilitated the discussion. Greg asked for a statement of expectations, short term and long term, along with introductions.
Short-term
Status report
Broad-based involvement of departments, community assets
Interaction between MCTC faculty and U of M faculty
Involvement of Center for Civic Engagement
Efficient operation of the clinic: matching up student needs with clinic functions in a new space
Promotion of services to assure adequate clientele
Long-term
Model for University in Community; customize activities to met community needs
Stronger partnerships – MCTC and CLPC, students and residents, faculty and administration, U and MCTC, etc.
Interdisciplinary curriculum viewed through broad lens of health; bridge between the environmental health and human health
Political action for policies/programs/funding needed to assure access for all to health care
Intergenerational collaboration to build a sustainable community
Balance between use and service to assure efficient, sustainable clinic operation
Clinic operation that meets MCTC’s carbon neutral goals addressing issues of climate change
History and Status Report
Aaron’s Story. When Aaron stopped to help a student who had fallen, he was told that she would not seek medical help because she was a single parent with responsibilities, no money, and no health insurance. Working with another student leader, Charles Ryerson, Aaron found out that there had been a prior plan to start a clinic that had fallen through. He and Charles started from scratch, looking for examples of health services in MN colleges. They also surveyed 1,000 MCTC students, one-third of whom had no insurance and one-third were under-insured. Students said they were willing to pay per credit for health care. Health providers were not interested in bringing in a service that they felt would not be lucrative. Meetings with Boynton moved ahead.
Ed’s Story. Boynton had completed surveys of MnSCU institutions that showed how students are underserved statewide. Research has shown that students well served with health care learn better, get better grades, and show better rates of retention. The U of MN’s outreach is statewide. Boynton received the U of M Provost’s blessing to work with MCTC and consider how Boynton might extend its service. Ed see this as a public health model (not a medical care model) – part of a comprehensive effort to improve the health of everybody – in this case, the students and staff in the MCTC/Loring Park community.
Carl’s Story. Since opening in November, Boynton at MCTC provides convenience care on a mini-clinic walk-in basis three afternoons a week. In the morning, staff meets patients in a primary care model for which students make appointments for exams, contraceptives, etc. The group is developing partnerships to support referrals for services not available at Boynton. The staff includes two physicians’ assistants, a nurse practitioner, and a receptionist. Joan will join the staff next month as a nurse. Carl is working with MCTC on the build-out of new space in the back of Helland Hall. Carl would like 20,000 square feet to include optional spaces for additional functions such as a pharmacy, mental health, etc. Student fees and health insurance payments and out-of-pocket fees are scheduled to cover the costs. However, the student fees at MCTC run $25 a year whereas they run $260 a year at the U, where health insurance is mandatory. The goal for all is that the students be involved as co-producers of their own health.
Assets and Challenges
Greg suggested that planning for the future should build on assets and address challenges.
Assets (examples)
Women’s Club
Citizens for Loring Park Community
Healthy Place, Healthy People (a Community Earth Council for the Loring Park community through which youngers and elders work together to address community health issues).
WAY
MCTC Science Division – Environmental Club/Greenhouse
Sodexho (Jeff Johnson) – Food Service
Nursing Program, Allied Health Professions
Addiction Counseling, other student outreach services (MaryAnn Prado)
Etc.
Challenges (examples)
Involvement of MCTC Administration – fits with interdisciplinary, multigenerational mission
Raising awareness of U of MN students residing in Loring Park community
Increasing involvement of existing stakeholders
Insurance issues
Promotion of services/marketing
No comparable existing model
Concern of private health care providers about competition
Reflection/Next Steps
Funding. The clinic is a business enterprise that must pay for itself. There are three routes to sustainability: a) raising student fees --- a topic to broad after demonstrating the program’s utility; b) following an entrepreneurial track – for example, by finding space for a pharmacy; and/or c) moving toward mandatory insurance.
At the U of M, all students enrolling for six credits or more must have health care insurance. The University self-funds the insurance program, which is 25% cheaper than a comparable private insurance plan. Full insurance costs $1600 a year for a student (about $110 a month). The insurance is an eligible cost for student financial aid programs. The cost is built into the overall annual cost of education. MnSCU is being lobbied to require mandatory insurance. Now, if the local unit of MnSCU wants it, they can have it. If the students at the local unit want it, they can have it. Ed has made the case that mandatory insurance attracts and retains students. By keeping more students in school, it ends up lowering the cost of education.
Outreach/Support.
Health Fair. Diane suggested using the Health Fair scheduled for April 14 to demonstrate how all the parts can work together. There are 60+ vendors who generate this most highly attended MCTC event. It will connect with Healthy Place, Healthy People as a Wellness Fest.
Sustainability Fair. Cathy suggested connecting the Clinic and big picture of Health with the Sustainability Fair that also is scheduled in the spring.
National outreach. Jan is describing Healthy Place, Healthy People in a workshop on intergenerational collaboration for sustainable communities at the national conference of the Am Society on Aging in March. Greg will integrate this work in a grant project sponsored by the Center for Intergenerational Learning at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Advisory Council. At the U of M, Boynton as an advisory group. Long term, as the clinic user group expands to include staff and then, hopefully, community residents, an advisory group should be formed.
Task Force
For the growth and sustainability of Boynton at MCTC, we need a comprehensive plan for outreach and promotion. The task would be to identify priority areas for planning, with a leader for each priority area. Each leader would be responsible for involving key stakeholders and drafting an action plan (who, what, when and performance goals/outcomes). Examples of priority areas:
Marketing materials
One-on-ones with departments
Co-curricular activities
Student Life/Student government
The task force could comprise those who are present today plus a couple other key resources: Boynton Marketing person, Marketing person, MCTC Administrator (Jami Hollenbeck), and ??
Aaron and Diane will co-chair the task force. (We need a title for its work.) Following suggestions from the group’s meeting evaluation, the participants want to break up the work into pieces and do the work efficiently in the shortest possible amount of time.
Jennifer will develop a blog for the task force participants to keep track of the activity and try out new ideas.
Next meeting the last week of January. Diane and Aaron will be in touch with you.
Jan Hively
612-379-4124
hivel001@umn.edu
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