Since April 2020, over 30 community organizations and volunteers have worked collaboratively in response to COVID-19’s impact on individuals, families, organizations, and businesses. They used a FEMA emergency response model to structure the Lamoille Area Health and Human Services Response Command Center (LAH2S-RCC). This unprecedented level of collaboration assured timely and coordinated response to emergent needs in the following areas: food, housing/shelter, employment, medical care, and mental health and substance misuse treatment and recovery services. As COVID-19’s medical impact wanes and the region moves toward recovery, it’s time to figure out next steps. To that end, several organizers are engaged in a process of capturing the lessons learned from LAHHS-RCC’s success.
In spring 2021, those organizers interviewed approximately twenty local health care and human services leaders. The interviews had two purposes: 1) to better understand the functioning and effectiveness of the many community teams and coalitions currently working in the Lamoille region to improve well-being; and 2) to hear their perspectives about the lessons of LAH2S-RCC. These organizers also sought to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the region’s teams and coalitions, as well as on the local population they’re meant to serve. Each interviewee was asked to rank the level of functioning and effectiveness of the teams and coalitions they serve on. Interviewees ranked each coalition they participate in across each category – using a scale of one to five (with five being highest level).
Categories of functioning included:
- Clarity of Mission/ purpose
- Achievements
- Available funding
- Management structure
- Roles & responsibilities
- Diversity, equity, inclusion
- Planning Functions
- Communication
- Administrative
- Data Collection
- Fundraising
To learn more about the results of this survey, please email sarah@leavesofchangevt.com.
