In early 2023, Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC) was pleased to introduce its new Governance Council, comprised of both community representatives and staff members, dedicated to providing strategic leadership that aims to achieve equity, diversity and inclusion priorities, and emerging initiatives at OBCC.
A key element of the council’s work is ensuring the needs and perspectives of the community are represented at OBCC to help inform decision-making by the clinic’s senior medical director.
“It’s an exciting time to be involved,” explained Max Hunter, Ph.D, Program Manager of Community Measurement and Innovation at OBCC, during a radio interview with The Seattle Medium. “One of the reasons we wanted to have the Governance Council is so that we move towards a more community-oriented healthcare approach where we are not only serving the community, but also working with and sharing power with the community.”
OBCC’s newly-formed Community Measurement and Innovation Hub and Governance Council were both introduced at a free community town hall event earlier this year, part of an ongoing series hosted monthly at the Othello clinic. These Community Grand Round events provide OBCC families and South Seattle residents with a consistent and accessible public space to connect, reflect and have open conversations about important topics.
The next town hall takes place on Saturday, May 13 and is titled ‘The Rise of Fentanyl and Opioid Misuse and Death Rates in the Hispanic/Latinx Population.’ The dialogue will examine the challenges of preventing fentanyl and other opioid misuse, discuss innovative ways to connect people with evidence-based treatment and highlight why a community voice is crucial.
During OBCC’s February town hall, respective members from the Community Measurement and Innovation Hub and from the Governance Council discussed their origin, mission and work. Community members were also invited to ask questions and share concerns. On the Pulse shares answers to a few of the main questions from the event:
Q: What are some good ways to get involved?
There are a myriad of ways that someone can get involved at OBCC through collaborations and volunteer opportunities that support clinical, social work, community engagement, and research activities. We have some uncharted terrain in front of us, but there has also been a lot defined including several proposals in the works, so this is a great time for the community to engage with the Governance Council and Innovation Hub.
Q: How do people find out and spread the word about upcoming opportunities to weigh in?
People can share feedback in our monthly community grand rounds, which are offered both in-person and virtually. We also invite people to visit our OBCC Events page on the Seattle Children’s website and the OBCC Facebook page. These are both consistent places to find information on all the things we are doing in and around the community.
Q: Can community members submit their ideas to the council?
We love connecting with the community. If a community member has an idea that could help promote the health of our community, they can reach out to us to share their thoughts at [email protected].
