Westlock Community Engagement

We spent a good part of the day in Westlock yesterday. We attended the Rural Kids Matter meeting, and the team is doing great. We helped crunch some stats for the group, and have edited the info again today for approval. Nearly half of kids entering shool in the region will require some assistance in one of the developmental areas addressed in the 2014 report on the region. Overall, in each area specifically looked at, the Westlock/Thorhild region children are right around the provincial averages, slightly above the average in the majority of areas.

We met with the Westlock Associate Medical Clinic, and look to develop that relationship. They were quite busy, but we agreed to meet to discuss options.

We also met with the Westlock Primary Care Network, and have discussed the gaps in service in Mental Health. Being a Tier 4 service, we do not overlap with the existing Tier 3 and Tier 2 services in the area. (See the explanation of the Tier system here: http://www.health.alberta.ca/documents/Creating-Connections-2011-Strategy.pdf)

The biggest barrier seems to be the reliance on NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) for Tier 4 services. People struggling at the level of Tier 4 often have many social and financial difficulties. We continue to try to network to be creative to broaden funding sources for people.