High School students of today, mentored to be the leaders of tomorrow. As the mandate of community hours for graduation remains without adequate direction, many students do not grow from the process.

If they were recruited into leading the way in community development and empowered to earn science credits that would lead them into the Health Care professions, we could eleviate some of the challenges of the shortage of nurses, physicians and therapists of all kinds. Bringing directions from an integrated “think-tank”, one that brings education, social service and faith based organizations to aid in the integration and delivery of Health Care services in the community, there is hope for a preferred future.

Once you have read this, please do not think that you have read all that is inclusive of the SIM, The Social Integration Model. For one, it is a work in progress,…call it my ongoing Master’s Thesis evolving into my Doctorate Dissertation. If you wish to borrow or build on this yet “unpublished” model, I would be delighted. Actually, I for one feel the open source and free sharing that is happening through the “blogosphere” may actually rapidly transform society to the better,…and that is what I am passionate about, positive social change.

So, to lay a foundation for understanding, you will need to come to an appreciation of “ways of knowing” as postulated by Barbara Carper aka “Carpers ways of knowing”. These four theoretical concepts being Empirical (hard science, quantiative methodology), Ethical, Aesthetic and Personal ways of knowing (these last three under the umbrella of qualitative methodology typically). White proposed “socio-political knowing”,…and I would like to propose “Socio-ecological” ways of knowing. This would be, in a very abbreviated understanding, is our “lived experiences” as humans with the diverse and multi-dimensionalities of the natural world. Contagious infections is one “micro-scopic topic” but has expansive implications, think merely water-borne illnesses,(Giardia or E-Coli)….or capture the economic, and socio-political consequences of a pandemic,…devastation beyond our imaginations caused by our interactions with one another, and with an infectious agent,…again of “micro” proportions in causation but massive proportions in consequences.

Our affinity towards choices of food intake, also has socio-ecological consequences, sometimes good,…more often bad…if it is socially stimulated (such as eating comfort foods when stressed) or socially endorsed (because there is yet another fast-food joint going up in the neighbourhood, attracting our children with toys and playgrounds) then we are just feeling like were a normal parent.

Now the reason I wanted you to get your head around the ways of knowing, is precisely what the Socail Integration Model is meant to accomplish. A more educated society, would be one that has a preference for greater health at a personal level (and for one’s children) but would also like to see greater social cohesion. We need to look at the fact there has been growing levels of apathy, toward warnings of health consequences, say in the drinking water…or in the potential of a global pandemic. Ever since Y2K proved to be a false prediction of disaster, it is more difficult to get people to take warnings seriously, or they can become overly phobic over the wrong worries.

So, how do we change the apathetic culture, and have them understand what is truth…through ways of knowing? You are involved in such a concept as you read this. Thats right, we use information technology, integrating health care and social services directly linked to this open source education medium, and then empower all by showing them how to get connected and with whom. It is reasonable to suggest that high school students have reach a level of maturity to both appreciate the urgency and to want to contribute to co-creating a better society. Now the fact that they are reaching higher levels of computer competency than most others, makes them great candidates to be the primary facilitators of open source forums, blogs and wiki’s… at least in the set-up. The experts would join the on-line communities of their choice and help clarifiy the truth, if it were not to hold to evidenced-based scrutiny.

Let me hear from you, if you follow along with me so far, and visit again for the next installment of expansion of the Social Integration Model.

BE well,

Dave

Recent Developments:

Dalton McGuinty advocating for greater utilization of our local high schools to enhance the quality of life for members of the community.

The proposed Nurse-Led Clinics: my Proposal- Title them as Primary Health Care Collaboratives, and entitle them to partner with communities and High Schools…building on the “co-op” programs that lead students into prerequisites for Health Care, Education and Social Service professions. Transdisciplinary and Multi-disciplinary in their orientation and application of service provision we could see the enhanced health promotion that can come from empowering and advocating for self-care and volunteerism.

(This is provided as a beginning of the new work being written)

The Primary Health Care Collaborative Model.

There are many factors that suggest, now is the time for innovative community development Primary Health Care initiatives.
Recent announcements and previous commitments make this possible, practical and promotional of Healthy Living, Healthy Families, Healthy Communities.
Recently Premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty had announced intent to open up the availability of Community High Schools to the greater utilization by community members.
For a number of years now, High School students have had a mandate of 40 hours of community services to fulfill for successful graduation.
It is again, most practical to bring Health Promotion into the community and be available the students and teachers of all levels of education.
Health Promotions sites…those inclusive of Primary Health Care teams could have an huge impact on illness and injury reduction, as well as be a catalyst to invite more young people to choose the various health professions of which are increasing in demand due to the aging population.
Seniors have the greatest number of collective health concerns. Those that have chosen health living remain interested in contributing to society long after retirement. There is a growing emphasis on the benefits of inter-generational collaboration. The “senior” volunteer cohort, partnered with the High School students volunteer hours and “co-op” opportunities as prerequisites for health science studies at college or University level…just make good proactive and practical sense.
The “professions” that are initiated and orientated to this community development Primary Health Care environment, will be playing the dual role of “ care provider”, but also teaching, mentoring and facilitating through many modes inclusive of “telehealth” and  on-line community development of chronic disease management and health promotion education.