LINKING WITH COMMUNITY AGENCIES FOR BETTER CHILD
HEALTH
Duncan,
B
University
of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Objective:
To outline a simple plan that should assist the
interested pediatrician in developing a program or project in his/her
community to improve the health care of children and young adults.
Methods:
Select something you feel is wrong in your
community and that is affecting the health of children and then infuse
yourself with passion to right the wrong. Investigate the problem as you do with your patients: 1.
Get the history of the problem; 2. Do the exam - record your own
observations and support your findings with an analysis of what is written
about the problem; i.e., how extensive is it and what has been done about
it; then comes the fun part 3. Venture into the community and discover your
allies, those agencies that have been involved with the problem and find
out how they are addressing the situation and why they feel the problem has
not yet been solved; 4. With your “beginner’s mind” work with those
community agencies and together develop a new plan; 5. Meet a host of good
people who have the same goals as you do and 6. Have fun with the process.
Results:
The results will depend on your passion, your
determination and your willingness to make it right plus a little good
fortune along the way.
Conclusion:
Ordinary people can do extraordinary things.