Web Site  

@heart Newsletter /Vol. 1, No. 2 Fall, 1997

Contents

"Thank you" just doesn't seem adequate!

Ontario's heart health demonstration phase came to an end on September 30, 1997. The official beginning was in January 1990, and since then the people involved in each of the five heart health demonstration sites and two healthy lifestyle projects have dedicated tremendous energy and enthusiasm to generating new lessons in the field.

Based on the strength and depth of the insights gained and the strategies developed through the demonstration phase, every community in Ontario now has the chance to adopt and adapt their own mix of initiatives to meet their community needs. Without the example of the demonstration sites on which to build, it is unlikely that the provincial government would have established heart health as the priority it has.

As many of the staff of the sites move on to new challenges and the networks and community management groups within the demonstration communities evolve to meet the challenges of the next phase, the HHRC would like to recognize the tremendous achievements of the sites. All too often, we fail to recognize our own strengths and instead look to outside expertise. This certainly is not necessary when it comes to heart health; Ontario is on the leading edge in this field internationally and the volunteers and staff of the demonstration sites have, in partnership with many others, helped to create this success.

As identified in the evaluation of the demonstration phase, community leadership is a key to success. There were many people involved in each site, sharing responsibility and credit for shaping activities. Since any attempt to name these individuals would result in some being left out, we would rather issue a blanket "thank you" to everyone who worked so hard for so long. In doing so, however, we recognize that "thank you", no matter how sincere, doesn't seem to be enough. Perhaps knowing that you have involved your communities in innovative work against the number one cause of death and disability is better than any words we can offer.

[Contents]

Congratulations ... we survived October 15th, 1997!

The Heart Health Applications are in! Communities rallied to meet the challenge and the HHRC was pleased to be able to respond to many requests for support.

We in turn, need to recognize those who assisted the HHRC with some of these requests.
20 Communities were visited by one of 11 consultants who assisted with sessions on:
. Partnering
. Strategic Planning
. Volunteer Management

Thanks to our consultants:
. Karen Bays-Woods
. Margaret Good
. Merle Kisby
. Lorraine Telford
. Nancy Bradshaw
. Jean Harvey
. Lisa Mitchell
. Paula Thomlison
. Nancy Dubois
. Patricia Jackson
. Kathy Page

And our Provincial Partners:
. HCU
. OPHEA/ALCAP
. PTCC

[Contents]

Partnering for Heart Health

Last issue we explored some examples of heart health partnerships from a staff perspective. Here we've identified a few more stories and have added in the viewpoints of the partner as well as the heart health staff. There's no "best practice" here ... the lesson is in diversity ... use your imagination & creativity to develop strong relationships..

@ Peel

When the Mississauga Branch of St. John Ambulance was initially approached by the Peel Health Department, it saw its involvement in heart health as a good community relations opportunity. Now, it's taken on a leadership role in the Peel Heart Health Network, and is committed to participating until it sees a decline in heart disease.

Peel Health originally approached St. John Ambulance to organize a CPR blitz in the community. The approach was made through St. John's provincial organization and approved by the Mississauga Branch's volunteer committee. In addition to its community relations aspects, St. John's saw participation as a way of establishing links with other community leaders and marketing its products and services more widely.

Edie Harris, Executive Director of the Mississauga Branch, reports that her group is very satisfied with the results of the partnership. It provides "great networking and community development opportunities", and she predicts the partnership will continue.

"Until we have significantly reduced heart disease in the region, we need to continue to work in collaboration."

For more information, contact Janette Smith (905) 791-7800.

[Contents]

@ Halton

While the Peel experience is an example of a specific approach to a specific potential partner, in neighbouring Halton Region, an equally beneficial partnership grew from an invitation to participate in a broader discussion of community health issues.

The District Health Council organized a focus group and included the Region's four chief librarians. This evolved into one library's participation in the Halton Healthy Lifestyles Coalition and the development of an electronic database of nutrition information.

From the Coalition's point of view, recruiting the public library provided several benefits. The library could provide human resources and a venue for program delivery; it provided a new perspective on health promotion activities; and it created a working partnership that could delivery electronic access to nutrition information - a very sustainable, program-related focus.

Chief librarian Betsy Cornwall became chair of the Halton Healthy Lifestyles Coalition. "I suppose I became involved because of personal and family experiences," she said, "and I've stayed involved out of sheer cussedness".

I found the Coalition extremely rewarding in extending my contacts within Halton," she says.

"(It is) my belief that there was and continues to be much value in mobilizing communities."

For more information, contact Betsy Cornwall (905) 815-2042.

[Contents]

More Partnerships for Heart Health
@ Scarborough

Sometimes, recruiting a partner is unexpectedly easy.

In Scarborough, the Health Department and the Community Heart Health Coalition were looking for partners who could provide human and organizational resources. In their search, they invited Scarborough General Hospital to attend a meeting and discuss partnerships and community networking.

The invitation arrived at an appropriate time, as the hospital itself was seeking opportunities to build its network with community agencies with which to promote heart health. As a result, the process was surprisingly straightforward. At the first meeting, after a presentation on networking and resource-sharing, the group unanimously decided to work together.

"I have obtained a greater insight into the functions and roles of the other organizations (and) gained an insight into how a multidisciplinary team functions in the community.

Scarborough General Hospital remains committed to its participation in the Scarborough Heart Health Network. Jay Wilson, Patient Care Director, Cardio-Respiratory, says, "This partnership has provided me an opportunity to network with many different community agencies and individuals. I have obtained a greater insight into the functions and roles of the other organizations (and) gained an insight into how a multidisciplinary team functions in the community."

For more information, contact Paula Waddell (416) 396-7454

[Contents]

@ Huron County

In other situations, only one prospective partner can provide the necessary resources, and recruitment and retention must be very carefully considered.

"We have made many gains in implementing the program, including teacher training and making the public more aware of the need for such programs."

When the Huron County Health Unit decided to embark on Quality Daily Physical Education (QDPE) for school-age children, it was clear that the only possible partner for program delivery was the school system. The lure used to "hook" the partner was as simple as it was valid: the initiative had real value for the partner, and had the added advantage of building on strong existing ties.

The process was key to success. First, the senior staff from the Health Unit met with a teacher who was known to support the initiative. After discussing the project with the teacher, the Health Unit then approached senior board staff and convinced them of the program's value. Once convinced, senior board staff recommended the program to the trustees, who gave it 100% support and paved the way for implementation.

QDPE was not only successful in the pilot setting, but also in other schools across the system. Principal Patty Brereton says she is "extremely satisfied" with the program, adding, "We have made many gains in implementing the program, including teacher training and making the public more aware of the need for such programs."

For more information, contact Sheryl Faegen (519) 482-3416.

[Contents]

@ York Region

York Region provides an excellent example of the value of partnering with the private sector to deliver workplace heart health programs.

Heart Action York Region (HAYR) issued a general invitation to businesses to participate in a workplace needs assessment regarding nutrition, smoking and physical activity. Edutran identified the program as a good opportunity for community relations and responded. The HAYR Worksite Team conducted the assessment and was available for follow-up consultation with employees.

As a result of the program, Edutran discussed the benefits of workplace health with other businesses, demonstrating the value of a peer-to-peer or ambassador approach to heart health promotion. A benefit that could not have been foreseen was that Bev Smalley, president of Edutran, became chair of the Healthy Workplace Alliance, an offshoot of HAYR that was created to help promote sustainability.

For more information, contact Bev Smalley (905) 853-5555 ext. 308 or Mike Kennedy (905) 713-9950.

[Contents]

What General Lessons may be derived from these Five Experiences?

Participation in a program that offers good community relations opportunities is very attractive for many partners. They are less likely to be motivated by appeals for help with human or other resources.

Partners become most committed when the program offers them something of value for their clients, customers or employees.

Once involved, partners often become important contributors beyond their immediate programs

And perhaps most importantly:

There is no one "right way" to recruit and retain partners. Consider your needs, the community's resources, and the interests of your potential partner, then design an approach that creates the greatest benefit for everyone.

Happy recruiting . . . tell us your stories so we can share them!

Connect with your peers across Ontario & beyond ... sign up on the free Web-site list-serve of the HHRC. Post questions, respond to those of others, read the input of others ... all by e-mail. Visit: http://www.web.net/heart for instructions.

[Contents]

News from the field . . .

"HARD TO REACH" OR DIFFICULT TO ACCESS?
Submitted by Janet Nevala, Coordinator, PTCC and Sherryl Smith, Somerset West Community Health Centre.

Are our clients "hard to reach" or are the health services and health professionals difficult to access? By imposing the label of "hard to reach" on people, the notion that it is their responsibility to fit into mainstream society is reinforced. Perhaps this label is really an expression of frustration on the part of service providers or practitioners as they attempt to find strategies that work.

The Program Training and Consultation Centre (PTCC) explores this issue in a document entitled "Access is a Two-Way Street: The Challenge of Reaching Priority Populations". The document was distributed in June 1997 in a field test version. They hope to gather comments and collect success stories about reaching priority populations in the area of tobacco use reduction and other heart health related issues. Please contact PTCC for a copy at 1-800-363-7822.

[Contents]

Community-based Smoking Cessation

The QuitCare program, which includes a complete set of resources for community or regionally based smoking cessation initiatives, has been developed by Homewood Behavioural Health in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.

These resources are part of a comprehensive model for community impact that involves participation from the hospital, primary care, and employer sectors, each of which is enlisted to engage smokers in a serious quit attempt. All program participants are steered to a central delivery resource (determined locally as the most appropriate program provider) that delivers the QuitCare cessation program in any or all of the following formats:

. face-to-face group (six 90-minute sessions)
. face-to-face individual (six 45-minute sessions)
. telephone-based individual (five 30 minute sessions)
. self-help.

Each format is aligned with a specific segment of the smoker population, and is matched to their specific needs and preferences.
Support resources integrated into the QuitCare model include:
. training and accreditation for program facilitators
. a client tracking and outcomes database
. sales and marketing materials for employers
. a computer based cost-benefit analysis for employers
. brief motivational interventions for hospitals, primary care settings, and retail pharmacies
. availability in English and French
. support materials such as presentation folders, pamphlets, and letterhead.

For more information, contact: Rob Simpson, Homewood Behavioural Health Group, (519) 824-5405 or fax (519) 824-1813.

[Contents]

Healthy Eating

Submitted by: Erica Di Ruggiero 416-314-5485.

The Ministry of Health, Health Promotion Branch is pleased to be collaborating with the Dietitians of Canada (DC) and the Centre for Health Promotion (CHP) to support community-based activities in Ontario during Nutrition Month (March 1998). This year's theme "Make Nutrition Come Alive - It's All About You! / Bien me nourrir: j'en fais mon affaire!" is aimed at helping adults make healthy food choices that fit into their lifestyle. Consumers will be encouraged to keep the following campaign messages in mind:

  • The Five "B's":
    • Be Realistic
    - help consumers understand the benefits of making small dietary changes. After all, small steps work better than giant leaps.
    Be Adventurous
    - encourage consumers to experiment and enjoy a variety of foods.
    Be Flexible
    - remind consumers that healthy eating is the pattern of eating over time and that higher fat choices can be balanced with lower fat ones.
    Be Sensible
    - promote the importance of moderation and enjoyment of all foods.
    Be Active
    - promote active living as part of a healthy lifestyle.
  • Through this collaborative effort, local heart health projects can benefit from the following resources and support:
    • - consultation services from the CHP's Health Communication Unit on how to design nutrition communication campaigns, activities and materials as part of local heart health initiatives. For more information, please contact Lorraine Telford at (416) 978-1188, or visit their web site at www.utoronto.ca/chp/hcu/.
    - free copies of an eight page insert (available in French and English): includes practical tips and recipe ideas to complement each of the key campaign messages. Look for the insert in the March issue of Chatelaine.
    - two free reproducible consumer fact sheets available in French and English - "5 Tips for Healthy Eating" and "Make your Move to Healthier Eating"; and,
    - ideas for carrying out community-based activities in multiple settings such as supermarkets and workplaces.

Finally, encourage consumers to visit DC's interactive website at http://www.dietitians.ca/eatwell

Three components have been added:

    . Nutrition Scoreboard
    - to give consumers feedback on their intake of calories and nutrients and suggestions about how to make changes to their eating habits.
    . Meal Planner
    - to help consumers plan a balanced and nutritious meal.
    . Healthy Body Shop
    - includes a fitness appraiser and a self-assessment quiz to help consumers assess their activity. Information on the Body Mass Index (BMI) and healthy weight messages will be provided.

For more information or to order your copies of materials, please contact Lise Smedmor, Nutrition Month Coordinator, c/o Dietitians of Canada, (416) 596-0857 ext. 318.

[Contents]

Physical Activity Announcing...

The ALCAP Community Facilitators will continue their good work in supporting active living throughout Ontario. When planning your active living initiatives call on the experience of your CF. For more info. contact Michelle Abrue at OPHEA (416) 423-7408 or your CF directly.

Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) & the Fitness & Active Living Unit of Health Canada are working together to develop this guide. It will offer Canadians guidelines on how to achieve health benefits by being physically active.

Preliminary market research was under-taken, which follows an Expert Scientific Review Process. National concept testing will lead up to a projected release date in the Spring of 1998.

New Resources from The Canadian Parks / Recreation Association

"The Benefits Catalogue"
- a complement to the 1992 "The Benefits of Parks and Recreation", this contains documented research outlining why recreation, fitness, arts, culture and parks are essential in the development of healthier individuals & communities. . 250 pgs; $35.00 (plus shipping & handling)

"Impact and Benefits of Physical Activity and Recreation on Canadian Youth-at-risk"
Both a Discussion Paper & Full Report are available on this critical issue to our communities. All revenues generated from the sale of these will be applied to youth-at-risk initiatives. Contact: CP/RA; (613) 748-5854 or fax (613) 748-5651.

For more information on Physical Activity, contact: Nancy Dubois, Health Promotion Branch (416) 314-5503. Or e-mail: duboisna@mail1.moh.gov.on.ca

[Contents]

Unique research project announced . . .

This past February, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario announced that 13 areas of the province are hot spots for coronary heart disease. Surprisingly, it was not major urban centres that had higher than expected death rates, but some of Ontario's smaller communities.

The Foundation has committed $600,000 to investigate underlying factors at play within these hot spots. This unique research project will examine: 1. health services delivery 2. population health status and risk factors 3. environmental factors
Look for results to be released by January 1999.

[Contents]

News from the HHRC . . .

HHRC Regional Consultations:
During March and April 1997, the HHRC held consultations in seven Ontario cities to gather information about heart health training and consultation needs across the province. More than 125 individuals representing community members, public health professionals and demonstration sites shared a wealth of ideas and needs. The input helped shape the content of several HHRC projects, and preliminary results were shared with the Ministry of Health, Health Promotion Branch.

The preliminary results show that building and sustaining heart health partnerships and coalitions was the number one learning need in four of the seven consultations. Therefore, Heart Health Partnerships was chosen as the theme for the one-day symposium held in Toronto on September 26.

All those who attended the Consultations should have received a report summarizing the results. If you did not receive your copy, contact the HHRC at 416-367-3313 ext. 36.

One-day Symposium focuses on building coalitions, partnerships:

The Heart Health Resource Centre, the Ontario Heart Health Network and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario joined forces in September to organize a one-day symposium on September 26 at the Radisson Don Valley Hotel in Toronto.

The theme of the conference, Partnerships, grew out of the regional consultations held during the spring. Partnerships were explored through plenary speakers, concurrent sessions, roundtable discussions, and exhibits and displays.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Larry Green of the University of British Columbia, is best known for his health promotion Proceed-Precede model and for his health communications publications. Three concurrent sessions - Heart Health in the Workplaces, Schools and the Food Industry - provided plenty of opportunity to explore these topics in depth.

Fall is a time when every organization moves up a gear and roars into a busy work period. Those who have applied to the Ministry of Health for Heart Health Program Funding can certainly attest to this. To assist those who are interested in or currently involved with community heart health initiatives, here are some new resources that are now available from the Heart Health Resource Centre.

[Contents]

New HHRC resources

Current Abstracts on Heart Health, Issue No. 3, September, 1997
This resource provides information on research from the available literature, and the current issue is a compilation of 55 abstracts selected mostly from peer-reviewed articles that were published between January & June, 1997.

Information Packages
Seven packages have been assembled based on the frequently received requests at the HHRC. They are:
. Partners in Heart Health
. Program Planning
. Organizational Structure
. Terms of Reference
. Job Descriptions
. Letters of Intent and In-Kind Contributions, and
. Decision Making and Conflict Resolution.

The information was gathered from several sources including demonstrations sites, public health communities and reference materials.

"What Worked For Us - A Catalogue of Interventions" from the OHHAP Hot off the presses in late November, this resource is crammed full of useful programming information. It provides a detailed description of 41 leading or supporting interventions from the seven demonstration communities of the Heart Health Action Program and Healthy Lifestyles.

Heart Health Presentation Kit
A second presentation kit which includes 20 masters for overheads and Speakers' Notes, is scheduled for completion in late November. This features international, national and provincial statistics and has been designed to complement the Chief Medical Officer of Health's Report on Heart Health from 1994. As an accompanying piece to this presentation, pictures of actual interventions are provided.

Heart health database of articles

More than 500 articles about heart health have been catalogued under the following headings:
. Risk Factors (multi-risk factor, nutrition, smoking, physical activity)
. Target Audiences (age groups, gender)
. Channel (schools, restaurants, health professionals)
. Workplace Health
. Evaluation, Program Method and Design
. Community Mobilization (volunteers, coalitions)
. Health Promotion (health education, community health, health attitudes, heath behaviours, health communication)
. Geographical Location of Heart Health Programming
. Theory

If any of these categories interest you (and the topics in parentheses should be taken only as examples), call the HHRC for a listing of the articles under that heading. If you come across an article you think would be of benefit to others, please forward a copy to the HHRC and it will be included in the database.

@heart
Vol. 1, No. 2 Fall, 1997
A newsletter from Ontario's Heart Health Resource Centre

@heart is published four times a year to provide up-to-date heart health news from around the province for anyone who is interested in heart health promotion. The status of communities implementing heart health programs, developments at the Ministry of Health, heart health news from across Canada, and information about useful resources will be reported in @heart.

@heart is published by the Heart Health Resource Centre, c/o Ontario Public Health Association, 468 Queen Street East, Suite 202, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 1T7. You may telephone us at (416) 367-3313, or toll-free at 1-800-267-6817. Our fax number is (416) 367-2844, and you may reach us by e-mail at heart@web.net

  • @heart production:
    • WordTrade Public Relations Inc., Toronto
    (Design by the Graffic Link Design Studio, Brantford)

Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. Please address all correspondence to the Editor, @heart, at the above address.

[Top of Page]