An Invitation to an Ongoing Conversation

The Federation’s logo uses the phrase “Navigators of Change.”  It is a short phrase, but it has broad and complicated implications.  On a ship, a navigator’s job is to make sure that the vessel gets from where it is to where it needs to be, and to get it there efficiently and safely.  In our case, the ship is a metaphor for this complicated thing called the “health and human service system.”  I am certainly not an expert on ship navigation, but I can say a few words about what navigating change means in the health and human services world.  I see five parts of this navigation process that will guide the topics we cover in these blogs.  The five parts are: knowing where we are; knowing our destination; knowing the external factors affecting our course; knowing the hazards; and knowing the steps that will get us to our destination.

Knowing where we are  Just as the ship’s navigator needs to know the ship’s current location at all times, it is also important that those of us who work toward positive change know as much as we can about the current state of the health and human services system.  This is a daunting task given the system’s complexity, but analyzing that system is part of what we have to do, and we will discuss the state of the system in these blog pages.  Much of the discovery is done by focusing on the components of the system such as a particular kind of service or the needs of a limited demographic, but at some point (if we are to chart the right course) we also need to know how these components interact. These interactions will also be part of our discussion.  

Knowing our destination  Of course, a ship’s navigator has a very specific definition of the destination indicated by coordinates on a map.  However, the optimum performance of the health and human services system is not so easily defined.  In fact, there is not total agreement on what components actually make up the health and human service system.  Nevertheless, we will charge ahead and discuss our desired destinations (that is, the improvements we want to see) on a component-by-component basis.  We will attempt to define what we mean by improvement and how to measure that improvement.  In addition, we want to know what improvements will add the most value.  In other words, what are the “best” destinations?

Knowing the external factors affecting our course  The ship’s navigator also has information about external factors like currents and weather that will affect the precise route taken.  The external factors for health and human services providers include: demographic changes; economic factors; federal, state, and local budgets; regulations and other requirements; information about best practices; and many other factors.  Sometimes an external factor might be in the form of specific need or concern.  One of our first blog postings is about one of these – human trafficking.  This is a phenomenon that most people would not associate with DuPage, but it does exist, and we write about it because we feel that more people should be aware of it.  You can also look at the Community Needs Assessment on the Federation’s website for more about external factors.  But, we must remind ourselves that external factors change all the time, so it is a natural topic for conversation around blogs. 

Knowing the hazards  What lurks beneath the surface in the open water can sink a ship.  Hazards that can create problems for an otherwise solid strategy include such things as unintended consequences, community resistance, misinformation, lack of fidelity to a tested model (poor implementation), politics, or sudden changes in external factors affecting the strategy.  We wish we had the technology (like a ship’s navigator has) to detect these potential hazards, but we don’t.  So, we will talk about potential hazards, how to spot them, and how deal with them as effectively as we can.

Knowing the steps will get us tour destination   In the health and human services world, the strategies and programs implemented by service providers are what achieve results.  Some strategies are more effective than others, and we will discuss the most effective ones in future blog entries.  Actually, a lot is known about what works, and we want to talk about that (and we might, from time to time discuss strategies that didn’t work out well – and why).  Many of these best practices are right here in our back yard.  Another of our initial blog entries is about the Open Door program that was developed in our own office to address a specific need.  Other best practices may have been implemented in other parts of the country, and we can also learn from examples of actions taken in other parts of the world.   

We hope that you enjoy the discussions that appear on our blog page, and we hope that you will participate in the discussion.  The needs addressed by the health and human services system are complex, and the system itself is complex.  We will offer our thoughts, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts as well.  This is a conversation, and we will learn from each other.