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RESOURCES: TIPS FOR USING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING FOR ALL

Ways to Use HWFA Meeting-in-a-Box Materials

There are many ways to benefit from the HWFA content. It can be foundational by using it at the beginning of a course or community engagement process, or it can be supplemental by using it—in whole or in parts—to enhance learning already underway. (See Resources for additional materials)

> Standard Use

  • Before Your Event
  • During Your Event
  • After Your Event

> Alternative Uses/Variations


Standard Use

  • The “Standard use” of the modules involves a small group of 6-8 learners sitting around a table together, taking turns reading from the dialogue guide and card exercises. A facilitator sits at the table as well, to encourage learning and keep the process moving. (See Before/During/After tips for the standard use, below, as well as the Facilitator Guide for additional tips).
  • Greater diversity among backgrounds of participants has potential to increase the learning. For this reason, it is ideal for interprofessional education.
    • To enhance participants’ experience of “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes,” consider assigning roles in Step 4 that do NOT reflect their background.
  • Here are the general timeframes for each module:
    • Gang violence module with full role play (speaking as a stakeholder) – 3 hours
    • Asthma module with “forming, storming and norming” stakeholder analysis – 2+ hours
    • Obesity module with modified role play (advocating for a stakeholder) – 2+ hours

Before your event

  • Find the right facilitator(s). They don’t need to be experts in the subject area, because their role is to be a “guide on the side, not a sage on the stage.”
    • Ideas for facilitators include: instructors at local schools/colleges; your local health officer; a medical resident; a community-based organization leader.
    • Share the HWFA Facilitator Guide and copies of the map and module-specific materials with them in advance.
  • Build excitement by providing your group with a description/preview. You could use our Fact Sheet, or send a message such as:

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

We all know the healthcare system is changing…your professional life will look vastly different from that of today’s healthcare professionals. Given the move to a value-based healthcare system, one sure way to prepare yourself to be healthcare leader in the future is to learn to “go upstream” and address the root causes of illness – the social determinants of health (SDOH).

We will be presenting a creative, interactive learning experience called “Getting to Health and Well-Being for All.” It is a meeting-in-a-box, which provides everything you need to explore SDOH and consider what you can do about them. Using a big-picture visual, supporting data cards, and group dialogue guides, this hands-on tool is a fun way to explore a 6-step process for leading change in your community.

  • Ensure that you have enough printed materials for everyone in your group. Copies of materials can be downloaded from the Resources page.
    • Each group of 6-8 should have:
      • A large visual/map
      • The “draw pile” card deck that corresponds to the module being used (place face down in numbered order)
    • Each facilitator should have:
      • A Facilitator Guide
      • A Dialogue Guide
      • Facilitator cards for the particular module (placing these in order of use will simplify things)
    • Each participant should have:
      • their own Dialogue Guide
    • For the full role play in the Gang Violence module, it is helpful to create name tents to accompany the character sketches (for formatting help, search the internet for “table tent templates”). These are then placed in front of the participants playing particular roles to help everyone interact.
  • NOTE: If you will be doing the Gang Violence module, we don’t recommend watching the accompanying “Wraparound Project” video in advance. This could bias the discussion and hamper learning. (It functions extremely well as a closing exercise, however!)

During your event

TIME-OUTS: The facilitator is advised to avoid becoming too involved – this is about exploration, and there is no “right” answer anyway – but if the group gets bogged down, it is fine to call a “time-out.”

  • This is especially helpful during Step 4 when some tension could arise (Don’t worry! Tension is essential for learning.) A time-out could be used to advance the group forward in time with an artificial statement of progress, such as an agreement to continue to meet (and then advancing to a future meeting), the resolution of thorny interpersonal issues over the course of several “meetings”, or the availability of funding for a project requiring the group to come to agreement on a focus for their work together.
  • A time-out could also be used in step 5 if the group can’t come to consensus on a project to work on together. Have a few ideas in mind and present them to the group for consideration, or allow them to do some quick online research (see resources for Step 5).

BREAKS: An ideal time to take a break is before the “role play” in Step 4, which will give participants an opportunity to carefully review their role.

DEBRIEF: If time allows, do a quick debrief with participants as a wrap-up to the exercise. Often this flows naturally, but if you need some structure, consider the “What? So what? Now what?” model:

  • What did you learn?
  • So what? Why is it important to you?
  • Now what will you do about it

If you plan to host another HWFA event, this is an ideal time to ask participants what went well and what needs improvement in the exercise.
 

After your event

ASSESSMENT: Follow up with your group in a few days or weeks to discover what learning has occurred and if participants have made any changes, either in how they practice or in their own perspective.

  • If you are using the materials as part of a real-world collaborative process rather than as a classroom experience, consider using the “My Commitment” card for participants to record their next steps. Follow up with your team to ensure that next steps are happening.
  • You could request that participants complete a formal evaluation [sample evaluation forms coming soon] and/or you could follow up with specific reflection questions.

Alternative Uses

  • There are many ways to use the materials with large groups (rather than just a single group of 6-8 as in standard use)
    • Using the electronic file, project the visual/map image for all to see.
    • Choose how the module best fits your situation and decide how to progress through it. For example, you could go through steps 1-3 as a large group, as interactively as possible, and then break into smaller groups. Or, break into small groups from the beginning and come back together when appropriate. Don’t forget to provide each group with the materials (questions, cards) related to each step.
    • For step 4-5, divide into subgroups so participants can have more direct experience with the materials.
      • Ensure that each subgroup has the following:
        • a copy of the visual
        • the correct pages from the dialogue guide
        • character sketches (gang violence and obesity modules)
        • Others Who Care chart
        • accompanying cards: The 3C’s, Model for Improvement, and PDSA example.
    • Reconvene the large group for step 6 and the final “Coming Together” questions.
      • Give everyone a “My Commitment” card

See this article about a group that used the materials with over 100 students: Duke Physician Assistant Program students first PA students in country to test CDC project (September 23, 2015).

  • Map as a standalone tool for small or large groups, with discussion questions such as:
    • What do you see in this map?
    • What factors not visible in the picture also affect health?
    • What is the most important determinant of health in your community?
    • What role can you or your organization play in improving the health of your community?
    • Who are your partners in the health and well-being of your community?
       
  • Problem-based learning: explore any aspect/step in more detail, including:
    • Investigating data about the health issue (including who is most affected, in what geographic locations, and how the incidence has changed over time) and its determinants or risk factors
    • Creating and discussing roles for additional stakeholders
    • Identifying sources for evidence-based interventions (discuss the merits of various approaches)
    • Completing one step/lesson at a time, with homework before the next lesson
       
  • Consider a “flipped classroom” approach. In advance, have participants find related materials (e.g. articles, videos), write a brief essay, or report on a real-world SDOH example in order to be more prepared for the event.
    • One idea for a pre-assignment would be to distribute the definitions and descriptions of Social Determinants of Health and ask the students to write about which one resonated with them the most (question #2 of the dialogue guide). You could also assign question #3: “Think of an example of a personal, social, economic or environmental factor that has impacted a patient/client or family member of yours recently.”
    • NOTE: If you will be doing the Gang Violence module, we don’t recommend pre-viewing the accompanying “Wraparound Project” video, as this could bias the discussion and hamper learning.

We’d love to hear from you about how you used the Health and Well-Being For All materials!
Email healthinabox@cdcfoundation.org.

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