Enhancing Social Planning in Durham Region

We are pleased to take this opportunity to introduce and invite you to the Enhancing Social Planning in Durham Region Collaborative.

The overall goal of this project is to increase the social planning and community development capacity of the volunteer sector in Durham Region’s rural and underserved communities. Some priority communities include, but not limited to: Uxbridge, Brock, Scugog, and Clarington. This project seeks to enhance the research and social planning activities of relevant issues in these communities and better position them to respond to changing socioeconomic conditions, and ultimately allowing for the development of more inclusive and engaged communities.

This project will support the development of a formalized collaborative partnership between the Commu-nity Development Council Durham (CDCD) and the North Durham Social Development Council (NDSDC). In addition, several community organizations and community leaders are invited to participate as com-munity liaisons in the collaborative, specifically ensuring that the CDCD/NDSDC are well connected to community networks and members.

This 2-year project is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and will be achieved by the following activities:

• Host several community meetings and focus groups to discuss social planning/community development needs, and strategies to enhance and sustain community engagement.
• Conduct a comprehensive social asset/needs analysis (to be updated annually).
• Increase website presence to promote program, service, and information resources of CDCD and NDSDC.
• Present and provide regular updates to municipal and regional councils.
• Facilitate discussions between the CDCD and the NDSDC to establish roles and responsibili-ties in the delivery of social planning activities in Durham’s rural northern communities.
• Developments of a strategic plan for ongoing social research and planning, and joint CDCD and NDSDC social research and planning projects.
• Expansion and enhancement of both CDCD and NDSDC memberships.

For further information and details on how to get involved, please contact:

Danielle McIntyre, President, NDSDC This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you have a project and would like the support of the North Durham Social Development Council please read the following Proposal Support Document.

Brock Community Health Centre

Building a Healthier Community

Brock Community Health Centre (Brock CHC) is an emerging community health service for residents of Brock Township and vicinity, an area in Ontario where, by all accounts, there has been an inadequate range of primary health services available for many years.   Community advocacy by a committed group of local residents resulted in the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care announcing approval for the development of a community health centre for Brock Township residents in mid-2006.  Since that time, the governance and operational framework for Brock CHC, as a non-profit organization, has been put into place and programs have been introduced starting with the Diabetes Education Program in November 2007 and the Community Development and Health Promotion Program in early 2008.  The Brock Geriatric Assessment Clinic (BGAC) began accepting referrals in late 2009.  In the fall 2009, the Primary Health Care Program began accepting clients.  The organization is mandated to provide the following:

• Diabetes Education Program;
• Community Development/Health Promotion Program;
• Brock Geriatric Assessment Clinic (a partnership between Lakeridge Health, Durham Region, Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto and Brock CHC); and
• Primary Health Care Program.

The Diabetes Education Program (DEP) consists of two teams, comprised of registered nurses and registered dietitians, who specialize in the care of clients who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or who are at risk of developing diabetes.  The teams assist clients to manage their diabetes and support them in learning how to minimize risks and complications associated with the disease.   Services are available in groups and on an individual basis.  The program is located at a storefront location at 20 Cameron Street W. in Cannington.  Services are also provided in medical centres in Sunderland and Beaverton.

The Community Development and Health Promotion Program (CD-HP), consisting of two Community Health Workers and a Health Promoter, began full operation at the beginning of 2008.  The team is focused on working with individuals, families and community groups to implement health promotion strategies and services designed to address the broad social determinants of health.  The goal is to engage and work with the community on issues affecting health and to enable individuals and groups to actively participate in managing health and well-being.   For example, activities to date range from supporting the various community groups serving youth and seniors, to participating in a poverty scan, to contributing to physical activity planning, to consulting with seniors in long term care homes, to launching a variety of physical activities, and much more.  The CD-HP Program is located at 1 Cameron Street E. in Cannington.

The Brock Geriatric Assessment Clinic (BGAC), an innovative partnership between Brock CHC, Lakeridge Health, Durham Region and the Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto, began operation in early 2010.  It provides comprehensive geriatric assessment and primary health care services for residents of Brock Township and vicinity.  The program uses a distributed professional team model including a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and a collaborating physician (as appropriate) on site who access geriatric consultation services and expertise through the use of video conferencing technology.  The program is located at Lakeview Manor in Beaverton.

The Primary Health Care Program (PHCP) began operation in Cannington in September 2009.  It consists of a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, nurse practitioners and allied professionals.  The team addresses the primary health care needs of Brock Township residents, many of whom do not have primary health care providers or travel excessively long distances to access the services they require.  Services are available Monday to Friday with flexibility for provision of services on some evenings and on some weekends. The program is located at 123 Laidlaw Street S. in Cannington.  In March 2011, the program re-located to a modern, modular unit at 64 Cameron St. W. in Cannington.

When fully developed, Brock CHC will employ up to 28 health professionals and support staff such as:  physicians, nurse practitioners, primary care nurse, registered practical nurse, social worker, counsellor/therapist, health promoter, community health worker and others.  Brock CHC’s services, designed to deliver care to community residents who have traditionally had difficulty accessing the care they need, will be available to clients without cost.  As an important community health care service in north Durham Region, it is expected that staff and volunteers from Brock CHC will continuously work with the community to identify needs and initiate new programs.   The Centre looks forward to the future goal of occupying a new facility designed to meet the needs of the community and the organization.  To this end, Brock CHC purchased property in August 2008 at 39 Cameron Street W. in Cannington for the new Centre.  Brock CHC is working closely with the MOHLTC to access the capital project funding required for the new facility.   In the interim, Brock CHC is leasing various sites throughout Brock Township to ensure services are as accessible to residents as possible.

Brock CHC, a much-anticipated primary health care service in Brock Township, will ensure that the right health care services are available in a timely and accessible manner.  As one of Ontario’s CHCs, Brock CHC intends on delivering a model of care that is effective, cost effective and contributes to healthy lives and a healthy community.

Homelessness Committee

North Durham Social Development Council established the North Durham Homelessness Committee in the Winter of 2000 to address the issue of homelessness in North Durham. Community Service agencies and homeless people were invited to participate in a north group that would provide input.

Mandate

To provide guidance and advice to North Durham Social Development Council on issues related to homelessness in North Durham.

1). To enhance service delivery to homeless people or those vulnerable to homelessness by:

• Identifying service gaps and barriers that prevent equitable access to service delivery;
• Making recommendations that appropriately address service barriers;
• Identifying trends in service use across the townships of Brock, Scugog, and Uxbridge;
• Identifying preventative measures that need to be implemented to reduce the incidence of homelessness in North Durham

2). To identify resources required addressing the needs of homeless people or those who are vulnerable to homelessness across North Durham and ensure existing Regional funding opportunities are maximized.

3). To provide project funding recommendations to Council regarding homelessness programs.

4). To report to the North Durham Social Development Council on Homelessness in North Durham Region, including sharing minutes and updating priority service needs.

5). To provide a forum for information sharing regarding new or innovative projects that address homelessness.

We want to hear from you!

For individuals who have used the services of our Homelessness Outreach Prevention Worker. We have developed a survey for you to provide valuable feedback to us. This feedback will allow us to better serve our community. We appreciate your honest response. Please find our survey under links and resources.

Agricultural Survey Project Summary

This project began in January 2006 in co-ordination with the Community Development Council Durham to research the employment and training needs of the farming community throughout Durham Region. Stephanie Zibert of NDSDC and Ben Earle of CDCD have begun the initial processes of the research and have developed a committee that is committed to supporting the research process. The committee will be responsible for providing input and feedback regarding the most appropriate avenues of enquiry and survey design.

Currently the committee is in the development stages of the survey, Ben Earle is responsible for the primary development of the survey and will have a trial survey complete for a test launch in early July 2006, with hopes to have approximately 1,100 surveys provided to farming professionals in Fall 2006.

The objective of this project is to gain insight into the needs of the farming community within Durham Region specific to training and employment and the needs of the employees in this sector. In addition to these goals we hope to identify any gaps or barriers in the current training and employment practices within this community to be able to address and strategize ways to address any identified gaps and/or barriers.

Letters, employer and employee surveys were drafted, and finalized. Packages were sent our to the farming community in Durham Region

Surveys have been returned in large numbers, committee was initially hoping to receive 200 total and to date have received 305 surveys (25% response rate)

The data had been collected from the surveys and has begun to be analyzed. We are unable to say much else at this point since we have not met a group to discuss the implications, next steps, etc.

We are currently completing the analysis and creation of the research report which will include recommendations for further action.

Transportation

NDSDC continuously searches for opportunities to advocate for the improvement of public transportation in North Durham. Member agencies are encouraged to contact their local municipal officials to do the same.

Drug Awareness Committee (Disbanded)

In 1996 Addiction Research Foundation and Durham Drug Awareness Week Inc. implemented the Brock Community Needs Assessment for Health Promotion. The resulting recommendations and strategies were implemented by the Brock Community Needs Project, 1998-2000 in Brock Township. Although the project met its goals within the set timelines, one of the many community workgroups of this project, the Agency Subcommittee, felt there was great value in continuing to meet as agencies around the issue of drug awareness. The Agency Subcommittee also felt it was important to expand awareness initiatives to include Scugog and Uxbridge Townships. In 2001 formal commitment and support was given by all three townships. The North Drug Awareness Committee was established in 2001 as a working subcommittee of the North Durham Social Development Council.

Mandate:

1). To provide an opportunity for drug awareness related agencies to network, identifying trends in service and drug related issues in north Durham Region.

2). To ensure related regional programming is implemented in north Durham Region.

3). To facilitate drug awareness and education initiatives in north Durham Region by;

• Accessing funding to support awareness campaigns.
• Coordinating with Regional and Provincial Drug Awareness Committee including Ontario Drug Awareness Partnership (ODAP), Durham Substance Abuse Council for Youth (SACY), Durham Youth Drug Awareness Committee (DYAC) and the Durham Safer Bars Coalition.