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CPPR Newsletter  |  Issue 39 |  12.02.2020
The Dot
Connecting all of us at CPPR

On Dec. 8, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Teri Garstka, associate director, will be the featured speaker for Emory University’s PH+ Series: Public Health + Community Networks. The PH+ Series is designed to examine the space where public health intersects with other disciplines by highlighting the work of innovators.

Teri will be discussing CPPR’s work to strengthen community networks and, ultimately, improve health outcomes by developing IRIS, our community care referral system.

“The series is about what the future of public health might look like,” Teriexplains. “In this case, we’re talking about how IRIS as a shared tool can bridge the service/culture divide between health and social services – that's key to helping address social determinants of health. It takes both a technical and an adaptive approach to systems change and shared goals and accountability across systems.”

The webinar will be facilitated by Isabelle Swiderski, whose design-for-impact agency Seven25 helps startup ecosystem builders and social entrepreneurs build successful ventures.

If you would like to join the discussion, register for the webinar here.

Innovative Data Collection Work

CPPR'ers share our approach at national symposium

When Rebecca Gillam, associate director, and Chris Tilden, research project manager, set out to do the Kansas Maternal Child Health needs assessment on behalf of our partner, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, they knew our team would need to come up with some new ways to entice Kansans to provide their input. Many had just been a part of the Preschool Development Grant needs assessment and strategic plan process, and he was concerned they would have a bad case of meeting fatigue.

“We wanted to approach the project with some unique ways to engage families, providers, and clients, so we came up with a variety of different strategies,” Chris says.

The team’s multi-faceted approach to increasing the reach of the needs assessment was so unique, they were invited to present about it at the Maternal Health Learning Innovation Center’s symposium in September. Rebecca, Chris, and Katie Hart, research project coordinator, shared “Engaging Community Voices in a Statewide MCH Needs Assessment” during the National Maternal Health Innovation Symposium. Sean Blake created the team’s presentation video.

“We wanted to engage different voices and provide different opportunities for people to participate in the needs assessment,” Chris says. So, in addition to employing traditional needs assessment techniques, they also used these novel approaches to reach traditionally unheard voices:

  • Our Tomorrows StoryBank. They drew upon existing stories in the Our Tomorrows StoryBank that focused on maternal and child health.

  • Youth Photo Project. They asked adolescents in Fredonia, Hoisington, and Kansas City to capture photos of things in their communities that impacted their health and the health of their communities. Here's an example of what the creative teens in Hoisington came up with.

  • Interactive Kiosks. They placed 18 interactive kiosks around the state in places like libraries, community centers, and medical practices.

  • Regional Interactive Open Houses. They held open houses in the six MCH regions, and participants were invited to visit interactive stations to share their views.

Holiday Fun

Pandemic-safe ways to enjoy the season

With so many favorite holiday activities cancelled due to Covid, it’s easy to see your glass of eggnog as half empty. But take heart. There are still a few things happening around Lawrence to give you a bit of holiday cheer. (If you’re not in Lawrence, a quick Google search will show what’s happening in the community where you live.)

Light Up Lawrence. Celebrate the first night of Chanukah at the community Menorah lighting ceremony, Dec. 10, 5:00 p.m., at the Lawrence Arts Center. The event will be live streamed. 

Tails and Traditions Holiday Festival. Take part in the Watkins Museum of History’s Horsing Around Downtown scavenger hunt Dec. 1-5 by searching for Watkins Hobby Horses in the windows of Mass St. businesses.

Festival of Trees. This beloved annual benefit for the Children’s Shelter will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 6 at Liberty Hall. This year, though, you will need to reserve a spot to view the trees.

Gingerbread Houses. Gingerbread houses will be on display in store windows up and down Mass St. Dec. 3-13. You can bid on your favorite house(s) to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Santa is taking to the streets of Lawrence on Dec. 5, Dec. 12, and Dec. 19 to bring music, stories, and photo opps to neighborhoods across town. Check the schedule to see when Santa will be near you.

Santa-Grams. Order a Santa-Gram mini performance to be delivered to your home or as a gift to someone else. Santa and Ric Averill will perform for 30 minutes. This benefit supports the Lawrence Arts Center.

Winter Solstice Celebration. Bring the family to Prairie Park Nature Center on Dec. 20, 6:30 p.m., to learn about the Winter Solstice, make ornaments, and burn a Yule log.

Jackie's Jots

Colleagues,

This past couple of weeks, I’ve been steeped in conversations about child care as a public benefit, future generations policy, transformation frameworks, innovation portfolios, insight-foresight, systems’ levers. My brain is full, but my heart is hopeful. Today is our last day with Openfields. Grady and Jeff have disrupted our thinking, preventing us from defaulting to our usual conversations and approaches. That is what we asked for and what we needed. For today, I’m trusting the process without knowing what the questions are or the answers should be.

On a sidenote—yesterday, a friend sent me a book on poetry, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. It was a delightful surprise to open the door to a book. The opening quote stuck with me:

“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.” Rabindranath Tagore

I’m glad to be here with you doing this work. I see and recognize the struggle and am grateful that we can wrap our collective support around each other. We are strong and resilient and will make it through this pandemic. We are also strong and bold enough to be part of a post-pandemic, better future.

In solidarity,

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