COMMUNITY
Making a Difference
Much of our work involves measuring the difference others make. Getting involved and making our own difference is also an important part of who we are as individuals and as an organization.
News
First and foremost, the best way to help your fellow San Diegans is to stay safe at home and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Other ways to help:
- DONATE money, food, personal protective equipment, wish list items, and even blood. Organizations like Feeding San Diego, UC San Diego Medical Center, the San Diego Humane Society, and the San Diego Blood Bank are among many in need.
- VOLUNTEER your time (if you are healthy) by helping organizations like Serving Seniors or the San Diego Food Bank.
- SUPPORT local restaurants and small businesses. The #takeoutchallenge is an initiative to support some hard-hit establishments.
- SHARE posts on your social media about available resources for those who might need it.
- ADVOCATE for those who you feel need help.
For links and more information about the organizations discussed, see the attached articles from NBC San Diego and 10 News:
https://www.10news.com/news/coronavirus/coronavirus-aid-how-to-help-your-neighbors
#ccrcares
To all of our fellow San Diegans:
This is certainly an uncharted time for all of us, and as a team, all of us at CCR are committed to continuing to educate, empower and support our communities. As we have found new ways of doing business and being innovative with our work, we know the key to success will be high levels of communication and support moving forward. We will continue to act in accordance with our core values of service, excellence, integrity, and collaboration, while providing positive news and resources during the uncertainty of COVID-19.
We will all get through this together.
Be well,
The CCR Team – Kristen, Erica, Marla, Joe, Sarah, Darian, & Bernard
#ccrcares
As a subcommittee of the Meth Strike Force, the Meth and Families Committee recognizes the need for trauma-informed intervention that includes the whole family. Many people develop substance use disorders after living through trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Some risk factors include having a parent with a substance use disorder, losing a parent, having an incarcerated parent, experiencing physical or sexual abuse, and many others. When a child can be part of a parent's recovery, the child can develop a sense of resilience and strength in their family. In San Diego County, the Meth and Families Committee sees the intergenerational nature of meth addiction and strives to support families recovering together.
The Committee produces a quarterly newsletter to share resources, information, and perspectives to aid families in their journey. The most recent newsletter highlighted two San Diego services: 211 San Diego and the Access and Crisis Line (see the newsletter below). Future topics include a client perspective to explain what to expect when entering the system of care and their experience utilizing substance use disorder services, and later, information on San Diego’s Drug Endangered Children (DEC) unit.
To learn more about the Meth Strike Force, go to https://www.no2meth.org/.
To download the newsletter, click here
As today is World Cancer Day, we wanted to highlight the great work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 58 years ago today St Jude’s opened. This leading children’s hospital treats the toughest childhood cancers and pediatric diseases. When Danny Thomas founded the hospital in 1962, he envisioned a hospital that would treat children regardless of race, color, creed or their family's ability to pay. Since then, their groundbreaking research has helped better the survival rate for childhood cancer from 20% in 1962 to more than 80% today.
We thank St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for their amazing work and we are proud to support this organization.
Learn more at https://www.stjude.org/.
As the CCR team continues to participate in the Addiction Treatment Starts Here: Community Partnerships learning collaborative, we are using system design tools to think differently about our work. Systems thinking requires looking at interrelated factors to understand their combined effects. One tool we’ve found to be very helpful is the Iceberg Model, which helps to examine events presented and the root of such systematic issues, related to an iceberg because much of the structure is hidden out of sight.
Our team led a focus group last year using the Iceberg Model to determine events, patterns, structures, and mental models regarding Opioid Use Disorder. An example includes:
- Event: What is happening at the surface level.
- An individual is overwhelmed when re-entering the system of care.
- Pattern: Similar events that have been taking place over time.
- The individual does not know how to build healthy relationships or feels loneliness
- Structures: What is causing the pattern (physical things, organizations, policies, rituals).
- There is a lack of mental health resources, limited access to harm reduction services, and limited hours at treatment facilities.
- Mental models: Attitudes, beliefs, morals, expectations, and values that allow structures to continue functioning as they are.
- There is stigma within jail or Medication Assisted Treatment facilities and a lack of understanding.
In this way of systematic thinking, you can see how various factors often build on one another and the need to explore these levels to promote positive change. From our example, feelings of being overwhelmed may by due to not knowing how to reach out and/or from the fear of encountering stigma, therefore we can focus on creating understanding relationships in our program.
Try using this tool in your next project! For more information, visit https://thinkjarcollective.com/tools/iceberg-systems-mapping-tool-to-identify-leverage-points-for-change/.
