On July 29, Northspan’s Elissa Hansen facilitated the fifth installment in a series of listening sessions for Wilderness Health to tap our collective know-how and generate ideas for strengthening our region’s mental and behavioral health care landscape.
Community members came together to share their experiences and brainstorm potential solutions. Ideas for healthcare system reforms included:
- Holistic and person-centric care
- Culturally-relevant care
- Preventative services
- Innovative models such as emPATH (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing) units
- Removing barriers to employment for mental health staff and social workers
- Increased multi-agency information sharing
“We have been inspired by stories of resilience and innovative ideas in our listening sessions across northeastern Minnesota. Together, with community engagement, we are looking forward to implementing change,” Wilderness Health’s Telehealth Program Manager Zomi Bloom said in a quote for an August 6 article in the Grand Rapids Herald Review.
Pictured Above: Nelle Rhicard, graphic recorder, and Northspan’s Elissa Hansen categorize action steps addressing behavioral health care during the session. Photo: Grand Rapids Herald Review, August 6
Headquartered in Two Harbors, Wilderness Health is a nonprofit collaborative of independent providers working together to improve rural health care in northeastern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Members are Bigfork Valley Hospital, Community Memorial Hospital, Cook Hospital, Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, Fairview Range/Range Regional Health Services, Grand Itasca Clinic & Hospital, Aspirus Lake View, North Shore Health, and Aspirus St. Luke’s.
Read the whole story about the Wilderness Health listening sessions in the Grand Rapids Herald Review’s August 6 article.
Contact Northspan for more information about our facilitation services and how they can help with organizational and community development projects like this.