This blog was written by Peter Heywood, Program Director of the Community Health Division at Southwestern Public Health:
Successful collaboration is critical to achieving meaningful results in today’s complex and interconnected world. This rings especially true when addressing critical public health challenges like substance use. Recently Southwestern Public Health engaged with Collective Results on a research collaboration to assess the feasibility of consumption and treatment services in the region served by Southwestern Public Health, namely Elgin and Oxford counties and the City of St. Thomas. Through extensive collaboration and accessing Collective Results’ expertise in our research methodology, community engagement, and data analysis, the project delivered valuable insights and recommendations for improving public health outcomes in the region.
To initiate the study, Collective Results began by understanding the local context comprehensively. They engaged closely with community partners, municipalities, people with lived and living experience, the indigenous community, businesses and the general community to identify challenges and opportunities related to consumption and treatment services. Collective Results facilitated the establishment of a collaborative framework, ensuring all committee members and participants were engaged, respected and heard throughout the process. Collective Results also held regular meetings and brainstorming sessions with members of the internal working group at Southwestern Public Health, allowing open dialogue and exchanging diverse opinions. This inclusive approach fostered a sense of collaboration and harmony among the working group members driving the project forward.
Collective Results is known for its health promotion, research and data analysis expertise. They were pivotal in completing the Ethics Review Application and implementing the activities to support the research. This includes reviewing existing literature, analyzing demographic data, conducting a community-wide survey and facilitating several focus groups. Throughout the project, Collective Result worked hand-in-hand with Southwestern Public Health, leveraging the SWPH’s deep knowledge and experience in public health interventions and the community and creating a synergistic relationship that advanced the work both effectively and efficiently and facilitated the development of actionable recommendations and next steps that were both practical and contextually relevant.
The successful collaboration between Collective Results and Southwestern Public Health on the Consumption and Treatment Services Feasibility Study for Elgin and Oxford Counties and the City of St. Thomas exemplifies the power of partnerships in achieving the expected outputs and generating positive health outcomes. This partnership’s success underscores the importance of collaboration and the potential for effective collective action to address complex public health challenges.