Building resilient communities: A facilitated discussion

The Building Resilient Communities Workshop was hosted and organized by the Justice Institute of British Columbia, with the support of Emergency Management British Columbia and the Canadian Safety and Security Program, Defence Research and Development Canada, Centre for Security Science. Thirty-four participants from multiple levels of government, senior practitioners, policy makers, academia, community members, and a variety of agencies disseminated knowledge and developed concrete strategies and priority actions areas for supporting ongoing and emerging initiatives in community and disaster resilience planning. Identified strategies included development of an integrated national strategy and finding ongoing sustainability funding; increasing community engagement through information sharing, giving context-specific examples of anticipated outcomes, and demonstrating return on investment; as well as the need to engage and support local champions and embedding disaster resilience within other processes. A key message was that communities should be encouraged to use ANY tool or process, rather than struggling to find the perfect tool. Any engagement with disaster resilience planning increases community resilience.

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Queensland’s New Framework for Flood Risk Management Economic Assessments

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-1926 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Brendan Moon ◽

Ella Harrison

Keyword(s):

Risk Management ◽

Land Use Planning ◽

Flood Risk ◽

Flood Risk Management ◽

Disaster Resilience ◽

National Strategy ◽

Management Options ◽

Community Awareness ◽

Resilient Communities ◽

New Framework

Flooding is one of Australia&#8217;s more prevalent natural disasters, causing injury to people, damage to property and infrastructure, losses to business earnings, increases to the costs of providing government services, and intangible impacts such as environmental or social damages.Australia&#8217;s National Strategy for Disaster Resilience (2011) and Queensland&#8217;s Strategy for Disaster Resilience (2017) provide the overarching framework to build disaster resilient communities in Queensland and Australia. Within this, Government has the role of identifying and implementing strategies to manage the disaster risks. The National Strategy recognises that consistent information on the costs and benefits of risk management options, which considers the full impacts on the social, built, economic and natural environments, is required to support this.In Australia economic assessments for flood management projects have traditionally focused on the tangible damages of flooding, particularly to property. Other impacts of flooding, such as environmental or social impacts, are typically considered qualitatively or assessed through a multi-criteria assessment. The absence of state and/or national guidance on undertaking such assessments has also led to a wide variety of approaches, methodologies, data and results. This creates an unnecessary layer of complexity when seeking to compare and prioritise projects, within states and across Australia. It can also lead to the underestimation of the return on investment resulting from flood risk management projects, due to the incomplete capture of benefits.The Brisbane River Strategic Floodplain Management Plan (SFMP) was publicly released in 2019 and includes 52 actions aimed to improve the resilience, safety and prosperity of the community and businesses in the Brisbane River floodplain, and Queensland more widely.&#160; The Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) was allocated the lead to implement Action FM7 &#8216;Extend the economic framework established in the Strategic Plan and Technical Evidence Report to include community awareness and resilience, disaster management and land use planning.&#8217;The Economic Assessment Framework for Flood Risk Management Projects is due for publication in early 2021. It was developed through a collaborative process with other state governments, universities, private practitioners, and key stakeholders to road test a number of approaches and develop the guideline to support a consistent methodology for economic assessments, which also quantify the impacts from non-structural options such as community awareness and resilience, building and development controls, and emergency management.The new framework promotes consistent, comparable and complete economic assessments, and forms a key component of Queensland&#8217;s toolkit towards greater investment in risk mitigation and fostering disaster resilient communities.

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An Integrated Framework to Measure the Performance of Inter-Organizational Programme on Health Technology Assessment

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13073873 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 3873

Author(s):

Milena Vainieri ◽

Francesca Ferrè ◽

Stefania Manetti

Keyword(s):

Health Technology Assessment ◽

Performance Management ◽

Technology Assessment ◽

Collaborative Governance ◽

Health Technology ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Integrated Framework ◽

Language And Culture ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Context Specific

Combining insights from collaborative governance, performance management, and health technology assessment (HTA) literature, this study develops an integrated framework to systematically measure and monitor the performance of HTA network programmes. This framework is validated throughout an action research carried out in the Italian HTA network programme for medical devices. We found that when building up collaborative performance management systems, some elements such as the participation in the design and the use of context specific performance assessment framework, facilitate their acceptance by managers and policy makers especially in high professionalized and sector-specific organizations because it reflects their distinctive language and culture. The hybrid framework may help health authorities and policymakers to understand the HTA network, monitor its performance, and ensure network sustainability over time.

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HANDLING DISTRUST ON RISK COMMUNICATION IN NIGERIA: A STRATEGY TO STRENGTHENING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK RESPONSE

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2021.245 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-22

Author(s):

Olayinka Stephen Ilesanmi ◽

Priscilla Onaopemipo Akosile ◽

Aanuoluwapo Adeyimika Afolabi ◽

Victor Okoliko Ukwenya

Keyword(s):

Risk Communication ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Outbreak Response ◽

Community Members ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Chi Square Test ◽

Level Of Significance ◽

High Level

Abstract Background This study aimed to assess the level of trust in the COVID-19 risk communication efforts in Nigeria. Methods We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among community members aged 15 years and above in Ondo state in October, 2020. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Descriptive statistics were summarized using frequencies. Trust was ranked from “1” implying “Low level of trust” to “7” denoting “High level of trust”. We conducted bivariate Chi-square test on respondents’ level of trust in the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and socio-demographic characteristics. The level of significance was set at p<0.05. Results Among the 691 respondents, 244 (35.3%) were aged 21 to 29 years, and 304 (51.4%) used the NCDC to obtain COVID-19 knowledge. Overall, 205 (41.8%) had high level of trust in the NCDC. Furthermore, 51 (51.5%) individuals aged 30-39 years had high level of trust in the NCDC (ᵡ2=17.455, p= 0.001). Also, 114 (48.5%) persons who lived with children below 18 years had high level of trust in the NCDC (ᵡ2= 8.266, p= 0.004). Conclusion Policy makers should prioritize the involvement of young and educated persons in COVID-19 risk communication strategies.

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Rethinking success, integrity, and culture in research (part 1) — a multi-actor qualitative study on success in science

Research Integrity and Peer Review ◽

10.1186/s41073-020-00104-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Noémie Aubert Bonn ◽

Wim Pinxten

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Research Integrity ◽

Current Paper ◽

Research Quality ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Community Members ◽

Policy Makers ◽

The Past ◽

Research Students

Abstract Background Success shapes the lives and careers of scientists. But success in science is difficult to define, let alone to translate in indicators that can be used for assessment. In the past few years, several groups expressed their dissatisfaction with the indicators currently used for assessing researchers. But given the lack of agreement on what should constitute success in science, most propositions remain unanswered. This paper aims to complement our understanding of success in science and to document areas of tension and conflict in research assessments. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with policy makers, funders, institution leaders, editors or publishers, research integrity office members, research integrity community members, laboratory technicians, researchers, research students, and former-researchers who changed career to inquire on the topics of success, integrity, and responsibilities in science. We used the Flemish biomedical landscape as a baseline to be able to grasp the views of interacting and complementary actors in a system setting. Results Given the breadth of our results, we divided our findings in a two-paper series, with the current paper focusing on what defines and determines success in science. Respondents depicted success as a multi-factorial, context-dependent, and mutable construct. Success appeared to be an interaction between characteristics from the researcher (Who), research outputs (What), processes (How), and luck. Interviewees noted that current research assessments overvalued outputs but largely ignored the processes deemed essential for research quality and integrity. Interviewees suggested that science needs a diversity of indicators that are transparent, robust, and valid, and that also allow a balanced and diverse view of success; that assessment of scientists should not blindly depend on metrics but also value human input; and that quality should be valued over quantity. Conclusions The objective of research assessments may be to encourage good researchers, to benefit society, or simply to advance science. Yet we show that current assessments fall short on each of these objectives. Open and transparent inter-actor dialogue is needed to understand what research assessments aim for and how they can best achieve their objective. Study Registration osf.io/33v3m.

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HEALTH TECHNOLOGY REASSESSMENT: THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE

International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care ◽

10.1017/s0266462313000494 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 418-423 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Gail MacKean ◽

Tom Noseworthy ◽

Adam G. Elshaug ◽

Laura Leggett ◽

Peter Littlejohns ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Health Technology ◽

Economic Effects ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Political Will ◽

Multiple Levels ◽

Methodological Approaches ◽

Context Specific ◽

Constant Comparative Analysis ◽

Health Technology Reassessment

Background:Health technology reassessment (HTR) is “a structured, evidence-based assessment of the clinical, social, ethical, and economic effects of a technology currently used in the healthcare system, to inform optimal use of that technology in comparison to its alternatives.” The purpose of this study is to describe the key themes in the context of current HTR activities and propose a way forward for this newly emerging field.Methods:Data were gathered from a workshop held as part of the 2012 Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH) symposium. The workshop consisted of two panel presentations followed by discussion; data gathered, including presentations and rich audience discussion transcripts, were analyzed for key themes emerging in the field of HTR using constant comparative analysis.Results:The language chosen to describe HTR will set the tone for engagement. The identification of champions at multiple levels and political will are essential. Key lessons from international experience are: disinvestment is difficult, focus on clinical areas not specific technologies, identify clear goals of the HTR agenda. Six key themes were identified to move the HTR agenda forward: emphasize integration over segregation, focus on development of HTR methods and processes, processes are context-specific but lessons must be shared, build capacity in synergistic interdisciplinary fields, develop meaningful stakeholder engagement, strengthen postimplementation monitoring and evaluation.Conclusions:To move this field forward, we must continue to build on international experiences with a focus on developing novel methodological approaches to generating, incorporating, and implementing evidence into policy and practice.

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Bringing Ethics Review Home to Cowichan: Indigenizing Ethics Review in British Columbia, Canada

International Journal of Indigenous Health ◽

10.32799/ijih.v16i2.33099 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Cowichan Tribes

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Research Ethics ◽

First Nations ◽

Indigenous Peoples ◽

Preterm Births ◽

High Rate ◽

Community Members ◽

Ethics Review ◽

Research Ethics Review ◽

United Nations Declaration

Cowichan Tribes’ territory, located in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, is experiencing an alarmingly high rate of preterm births compared to the national average of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. In response, and in partnership with the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), Cowichan Tribes is in the first year of a 3-year study to investigate causes. Cowichan Tribes’ Elders and community members are guiding the study to ensure it follows Cowichan Tribes’ research processes and to support self- determination in research. Furthermore, as a way to enhance reconciliation, Elders and community members guided an on-site ethics review on Cowichan Tribes territory. This article outlines the collaborative, in-person research ethics review process that Cowichan Tribes, Island Health, and FNHA completed on August 21, 2019. The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions other First Nations could use when conducting a research ethics review, and to explain how this process aligns with the principles of ownership, control, access, and possession (OCAP®), the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and above all, the Cowichan snuw’uy’ulh (teachings from Elders).

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An asset-based participatory community analysis of natural hazards in Naphuno, Greater Tzaneen Municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa

Jàmbá Journal of Disaster Risk Studies ◽

10.4102/jamba.v12i1.939 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Allucia L. Shokane ◽

Hanna Nel

Keyword(s):

Natural Hazards ◽

Community Analysis ◽

Limpopo Province ◽

Participatory Action ◽

Community Members ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Individual Interviews ◽

Resilient Communities ◽

Asset Based Community Development

Natural hazards disrupt the daily lives of people and communities. Consequently, social workers, like any other stakeholders, deal with community predicaments arising from the effects of natural hazards. The social relief distress (SRD) programme of government utilises needs-based, top-down government-driven interventions in communities affected by natural hazards, focused on what communities lack, as opposed to what communities have. This research study involved a community that experienced natural hazards, such as flooding, hail, lightning and windstorms, which destroyed property and livelihoods during the period 2014–2015. Eight experts and 12 affected community members participated in a qualitative participatory action research analysis study between 2016 and 2017. Guided by the asset-based community development (ABCD) approach, the affected community participated in a collaborative manner in the analysis of the consequences of natural hazards within the community. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and focus group discussions, and analysed thematically. The findings confirmed the traumatic effects of natural hazards, such as loss of property, crops and livestock, physical injuries and even death. The main finding established that natural hazards should be managed in a collaborative way between formal experts of natural hazards and community members through ABCD principles and methods in building resilient communities.

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Addressing climate change from a social development approach: Small cities and rural communities’ adaptation and response to climate change in British Columbia, Canada

International Social Work ◽

10.1177/0020872814539984 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 61-73 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Julie Lynne Drolet ◽

Tiffany Sampson

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

British Columbia ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Social Development ◽

Social Workers ◽

Community Members ◽

Small Cities ◽

The Social ◽

Development Approach ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

Climate change is having a very real impact, affecting not only ecosystems but also the socio-economic systems of small cities and rural communities. Globally, climate change is a consequential concern, since it is contributing to an increase in global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, raising sea levels, and natural hazards. Locally, the effects of climate change vary, depending upon the region, with communities experiencing the impacts of climate change differently and at various degrees. This article presents research findings from a study on climate change, disasters, and sustainable development that provide insight into the diverse perspectives of community members on climate change in six communities in the Interior and Northern regions of British Columbia, Western Canada. A common denominator between these six communities is how social development is being applied to address climate change. The concept of social development encompasses social and economic well-being. The social development approach involves processes, activities, and institutions working together to develop the social and economic capacities of individuals and communities. In particular, for social workers working with individuals, families, and communities impacted by climate change, the social development approach is effective in addressing social and economic needs. This article will examine the differing perspectives and attitudes of affected community members and the role of social development with respect to climate change adaptation and response. It will also provide suggestions on how social workers can support and apply the social development approach in communities experiencing the impacts of climate change.

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Essay I Primary Care and Public Health

The Practical Playbook ◽

10.1093/med/9780190222147.003.0201 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 26-27

Author(s):

Julie K. Wood

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Primary Care ◽

Health Professionals ◽

The United States ◽

Federal Agencies ◽

Community Members ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Public Health Professionals ◽

Primary Care Clinicians ◽

The Right

Drawing on the experiences of hundreds of public health and primary care clinicians from across the United States, this book explains why population health is receiving so much attention from policy makers in states and federal agencies, the practical steps that clinicians and public health professionals can take to work together to meet the needs of their community, signs that you are on the right track (or not) and how to sustain successes to the benefit of patients, community members, and the health care and public health teams that care for them.

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