2011 Donor Impact Report - Charity Focus

The health ofour communityWhen most people thinkabout health care, theythink about acute carefacilities. But there isa group of programsthat are focused oncommunity wellnessand prevention servicesto assist people beforethey require a trip tothe hospital.Community health is anew way of thinking. Itlooks at prevention as akey strategy in impactingthe number of peoplewho require acute care.When people in thecommunity have accessto preventative healthcare from the start, theyare more likely to livehealthier lives.Calgary Health Trustis able to work withany donor who hasan interest across thespectrum. Many of theprograms offered throughcommunity health havea social impact that willaffect the wellness ofour city for generationsto come.Going extra milesfor preventionWhen you think about makinga donation to health care,chances are a van is notthe first thing that comes toyour mind. For Barbara Rossand her Safeworks team, anew van was a priority ontheir wish list for a coupleof years. A new van wouldmean they could continuefull speed ahead with theirintervention strategy to reducethe spread of disease amongmarginalized groups.Barbara, Harm ReductionSupervisor for Alberta HealthServices, said the programwas at a point where theywere looking at leasing a van.“This wasn’t at all practical forus,” she said. “We are out onthe road seven days a week,365 days a year travellingacross the city. Leasing avan would have been animpractical and expensivesolution to our problem.”As part of the Harm ReductionUnit of Alberta HealthServices, Safeworks providespublic health services to highriskgroups, such as testingand treatment for SexuallyTransmitted Infections (STI),HIV and Hepatitis A, B & C,vaccines from DT to Flu andwound care. “Our programallows us to provide a highriskpopulation, with veryspecific health needs, effectiveharm reduction health care.Because we are a publichealth organization, we areable to offer a continuum ofcare beyond just providingthem with the basics. Weare keeping people healthyand alive and healthy.”“Satellite ability is a keycomponent to our program,”says Barbara. “Many peoplewouldn’t use our program ifwe only offered it inside theclinic for a number of reasons.We’ve built up a trust withour clients. We go to themand they use our services.Because of that, we areseeing HIV at its lowest riskof spreading.”For Alex Rowan, her passionfor people in marginalized“We are keepingpeople aliveand healthy.”populations made her want toget involved. That’s how shelearned about Safeworks.“FirstEnergy was holding acharity golf tournament andwas looking for a charity tosponsor,” said Alex. “Notonly was it an opportunity forSafeworks to get funding fora new van, it also broughtawareness about harmreduction programs to theCalgary business community.”Working with Calgary HealthTrust, Alex and her fatherKen Rowan were able todeliver the keys to a newretrofitted minivan on behalfof FirstEnergy in January 2011that will meet Barbara and herteam’s needs for many milesto come.“In public health, we have to look atthe people and take care of thembefore we look at their actions.”13,000+ visitsHarm Reduction strategiesare making big changesThe impact of reductionstrategies is hard to measure,but for Barbara and her teamone of the benefits of providingsatellite services has beenseen in the reduction of thespread of HIV.In 2010, the Safeworksprogram had more than13,000 client visits andadministered more than 1,270vaccinations, 450 STI testsand 460 HIV tests. As theprogram works in partnershipwith many communityorganizations, more clients arebenefiting from their services.Your impact“Many people wouldn’t use ourprogram if we only offered it insidethe clinic for a number of reasons.”– Barbara Ross16 Calgary Health Trust