I'm here at the international community health centre conference: Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow as the social media central help table/internet cafe supervisor. We have had a live Spout feed displaying on a large screen Tweets people have shared with the official conference Twitter hashtag: #CHC2011 This Spout feed and other efforts of the social media team has interested many attendees who had never used Twitter or didn't know much about it. Lots of people come to my table where I give them training on the basics of Twitter and inform them about the hashtags and usernames associated with the conference and community health centres in general.
I keep searching #CHC2011 on Twitter to check out the many Tweets that continue to pop up there, Tweeted by conference attendees and staff. I urge you check them out too.
The conference video team, seated in the table beside mine, have conducted interviews of conference attendees who are doing great things for community health, including winners of awards given by the Association of Ontario Health Centres, where I have recently my communications internship. (I have stayed on to help the Assocation put on the conference.) My grades are in and I am a graduate of the Corporate Communications and Public Relations Post-Grad certificate program at Centennial College!
And I celebrated completing my program and working at a successful conference when Buffy Sainte Marie performed at the conference last night! She was amazing!!!
Then my colleagues and I danced the night away. Oh, and we had a great four course meal too...
The conference ends tomorrow. Then I seek employment as a communications and public relations professional.
Showing posts with label community health centres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label community health centres. Show all posts
Friday, June 10, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Using Youtube to Promote Community Health Centres
I just put up a new blog post for the Association of Ontario Health Centres (I'm one of their communications interns) about Community Health Centres' and AOHC's work with Youtube. Stay tuned for more updates on my adventures!
I'm really curious: how has a Community Health Centre (or Center if you're in the U.S.) helped you? Personally, before I learned about my internship position, I had never used one. Didn't even know what they did. Now I see how important they are, especially with my background in social health issues. I think Youtube videos can raise awareness about Community Health Centres. What do you think?
I'm really curious: how has a Community Health Centre (or Center if you're in the U.S.) helped you? Personally, before I learned about my internship position, I had never used one. Didn't even know what they did. Now I see how important they are, especially with my background in social health issues. I think Youtube videos can raise awareness about Community Health Centres. What do you think?
Monday, May 9, 2011
Groundbreaking Report Gives Voice
During Community Health Week, I attended an event Toronto Community Health Centre Women’s Health in Women’s Hands (WHIWH) held to release and discuss the findings of a groundbreaking report called Every Woman Matters. It was conducted by the Centre and other health organizations including Parkdale Community Health Centre and Rexdale Community Health Centre.
Staff of WHIWH, which provides Primary Healthcare to Black Women and Women of Colour, researchers and members of the community spoke about the data they collected and the healthcare access issues expressed by the women studied.
“Black women were the experts in what their needs were.” Notisha Massaquoi, Executive Director of WHIWH, said about how the report, a combination of stories and data, was conducted. This wasn’t a group of women being studied; it was a group of women sharing their knowledge with researchers. This is just one example of Community Health Centres connecting with their communities to understand what their needs are.
Dr. Charmaine Williams of the Factor-Inwentash School of Social Work at the University of Toronto described the most basic healthcare access concerns of the women they studied: “How am I going to get to the doctor?” “Who will look after my kids?” She also said that the homeless and underhoused report participants don’t have networks like friends and family to get access to care, like a doctor.
My colleague Lee McKenna, Manager of Policy and Government Relations for the AOHC, and I were very moved and stimulated by everything that was said. Referring to the fact that few other health agencies conduct similar research, Lee told the audience that some women are going to “feel that they are being heard for the first time in their lives.”
Dr. Williams said the Every Woman Matters research findings are designed to be used in training and educational settings for health providers and also to be applied within health care agencies. The report will also help make the case for increased resources for Women’s Health in Women’s Hands as well as other Community Health Centres. “It’s important to translate research into action,” said Wangari Tharao, Program and Research Manager for the Centre.
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands is also ensuring the research data compiled in Every Woman Matters is available to the community, as access to academic research often requires a subscription.
I originally published this on my intern blog for the Association of Ontario Health Centres.
Staff of WHIWH, which provides Primary Healthcare to Black Women and Women of Colour, researchers and members of the community spoke about the data they collected and the healthcare access issues expressed by the women studied.
“Black women were the experts in what their needs were.” Notisha Massaquoi, Executive Director of WHIWH, said about how the report, a combination of stories and data, was conducted. This wasn’t a group of women being studied; it was a group of women sharing their knowledge with researchers. This is just one example of Community Health Centres connecting with their communities to understand what their needs are.
Dr. Charmaine Williams of the Factor-Inwentash School of Social Work at the University of Toronto described the most basic healthcare access concerns of the women they studied: “How am I going to get to the doctor?” “Who will look after my kids?” She also said that the homeless and underhoused report participants don’t have networks like friends and family to get access to care, like a doctor.
My colleague Lee McKenna, Manager of Policy and Government Relations for the AOHC, and I were very moved and stimulated by everything that was said. Referring to the fact that few other health agencies conduct similar research, Lee told the audience that some women are going to “feel that they are being heard for the first time in their lives.”
Dr. Williams said the Every Woman Matters research findings are designed to be used in training and educational settings for health providers and also to be applied within health care agencies. The report will also help make the case for increased resources for Women’s Health in Women’s Hands as well as other Community Health Centres. “It’s important to translate research into action,” said Wangari Tharao, Program and Research Manager for the Centre.
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands is also ensuring the research data compiled in Every Woman Matters is available to the community, as access to academic research often requires a subscription.
I originally published this on my intern blog for the Association of Ontario Health Centres.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Social Media Opportunities in Healthcare
Tonight I watched a live stream of Health Care Social Media Canada's Tweet Up, a panel discussion by health communicators about the opportunities in implementing social media in healthcare.
As some of you may know, I use social media very often in my personal life and I am passionate about social health issues, but I am also starting to use social media as I begin my career in health communications as an intern for the Association of Ontario Health Centres.
I love what social media can do to engage patients, not just with a hospital or a community health centre, but with other patients and with their communities. It's a great way to share information and concerns, but also a great way for healthcare centres to stay attuned to the needs of the communities.
And I am enjoying this idea of healthcare social media as a patient as well. I want to know what kind of research a hospital is doing; I want to connect with other patients who have the same issues I do.
But it doesn't just happen. The attitude that "If we build it (a Twitter page), they will come" just doesn't work. What I'm most interested right now is learning how to engage people and build followers. That can be hard for an organization, I think, because there isn't necessarily the time or money to effectively operate a Twitter account. Also, I think another obstacle is that an organization Tweeting doesn't necessarily have a face. People like to talk to other PEOPLE. And it has to be interactive with @mentions and relevant, valuable link sharing.
I keep asking myself: do community members want to add hospitals and community health centres to Twitter? Do they want to "chat" with them? More importantly, do the patients and staff who could most benefit from healthcare interaction on Twitter actually even use social media? And how can we encourage people to get accounts and use them?
As some of you may know, I use social media very often in my personal life and I am passionate about social health issues, but I am also starting to use social media as I begin my career in health communications as an intern for the Association of Ontario Health Centres.
I love what social media can do to engage patients, not just with a hospital or a community health centre, but with other patients and with their communities. It's a great way to share information and concerns, but also a great way for healthcare centres to stay attuned to the needs of the communities.
And I am enjoying this idea of healthcare social media as a patient as well. I want to know what kind of research a hospital is doing; I want to connect with other patients who have the same issues I do.
But it doesn't just happen. The attitude that "If we build it (a Twitter page), they will come" just doesn't work. What I'm most interested right now is learning how to engage people and build followers. That can be hard for an organization, I think, because there isn't necessarily the time or money to effectively operate a Twitter account. Also, I think another obstacle is that an organization Tweeting doesn't necessarily have a face. People like to talk to other PEOPLE. And it has to be interactive with @mentions and relevant, valuable link sharing.
I keep asking myself: do community members want to add hospitals and community health centres to Twitter? Do they want to "chat" with them? More importantly, do the patients and staff who could most benefit from healthcare interaction on Twitter actually even use social media? And how can we encourage people to get accounts and use them?
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