This blog was written by the co-chairs of the Elgin Mental Health, Substance Use & Addictions Coalition (EMHSUAC).
The Elgin-St. Thomas community has taken significant steps over the years to address the complex topic of substance use. Through effective collaboration, the community continues to work towards accomplishing shared goals and supporting community members in the areas of treatment and support, substance use prevention, and housing and homelessness. Specifically, we would like to celebrate the partners that have propelled the work of the Elgin Planet Youth Coalition towards bringing the Icelandic Prevention Model to our community. Additionally, we would like to recognize the work of the Elgin OHT and their commitment to implementing the Stepped Care 2.0 model that will transform and develop systems related to mental health, addictions, and substance use health resources, services, and supports. There is great work happening in Elgin & St.Thomas and we are excited to be part of the momentum towards a healthier and more supportive community. Building on the community momentum to address gaps along the spectrum of substance use health and mental health the Elgin Mental Health, Substance Use, & Addictions Coalition (EMHSUAC) teamed up with Collective Results for a planning day in January 2025.
From Planning to Action
The Elgin – St.Thomas community has taken a significant step forward in addressing the complex challenges of substance use and mental health through the work of the EMHSUAC. Thanks to the collaborative efforts facilitated by Collective Results, we’ve moved from a broad range of potential actions to a focused set of priorities, ready for implementation. This journey highlights the power of community engagement and the effectiveness of structured prioritization processes.
The need for action was clear. Extensive documentation had already painted a picture of the challenges facing our community. We knew the need and potential impact of various interventions, but we needed to gauge our community’s capacity to take them on. Could we realistically support and implement all 16 potential actions on our initial list? The answer, unsurprisingly, was likely no. We needed focus.
“Gives and Gets”
Collective Results guided us through a process to help us narrow our scope and maximize our impact. The core of this process was a “gives and gets” activity. This exercise encouraged participants to consider what resources they could “give” to support each potential action, and what they hoped to “get” in return – whether that be a safer community, improved health outcomes, or reduced strain on local services. This framework helped us understand not just the desirability of an action, but also its feasibility and the level of community ownership it could garner.
The “gives and gets” activity sparked insightful discussions and helped us identify which actions resonated most strongly with the community and were perceived as most achievable. It forced us to be realistic and strategic, acknowledging our limitations while maximizing our collective strengths.
To ensure everyone had a voice, we utilized Slido for final polling. This interactive platform allowed for anonymous and transparent voting, ensuring that the final priorities truly reflected the will of the community. Through this process, the initial list of 16 potential actions was thoughtfully and deliberately narrowed down to a manageable and impactful four.
Next Steps
This collaborative approach, facilitated by Collective Results, has been instrumental in aligning the EMHSUAC Coalition. We’ve moved beyond simply identifying problems to collaboratively prioritizing solutions. The Elgin – St. Thomas community is aligned, empowered, and ready to take action!
From Collective Results
We enjoyed supporting EMHSUAC with this prioritization process! Just like the Elgin – St.Thomas community, yours can also achieve impactful change through focused prioritization. If you’re looking for guidance in navigating this process, contact Collective Results.
