ORIGINAL CASE STUDY / PROCESS ANALYSIS
THE WINDSOR CONNECTION RESOURCE CENTER
The Windsor Connection Resource Center (WCRC) in Windsor Vermont USA, is a one-stop center for all things pertaining to health and wellness. Not direct medical care, but allied issues. It is a facilitating center, with over 25 different types of agencies and services catering to over 3,000 people in town.
Of Interest to
New Framework creation
Facilitation
Healthcare
Nonprofit
Leveraging skills and resources from an existing support base
Leveraging the local- putting to use small town advantages
Intrapreneurship
WCRC stands out not just for sheer ingenuity in bringing all necessary services under one roof to Windsor, but also in resource sharing- leveraging skills from the town's community hospital and clever use of resources in building and funding procurement.
It also stands out as a model for intrapreneurship within traditional organizations such as hospitals, that are very process driven with several codes and governmental obligations to comply with and not many opportunities for innovating at the community level.
process flow & analysis
The entire process of how WCRC came about has been crunched into an interactive graphic below. Hover over titles and buttons to read more.
Note that this is a dissemination and not a chronological representation of events. There is no storytelling. We focus instead on how Lord and her team went about through the process of setting up WCRC, what were some key partnerships, decisions and factors that led to its implementation and success.
Factors and Value Propositions that led to its success has been appropriately tagged.
For full details and interactive graphic experience, please view this on your favorite browser on a desktop/laptop/tablet.
Early 1990s..
Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) has a history of supporting socially/communally beneficial ventures.
With a simple but deep mission of “To Improve the Lives of Those We Serve”, this small community hospital supports various ventures using its resources innovatively. [Winning several awards along the way, including the prestigious Foster McGaw Award for Community Service!]
•Town of Windsor falls into a service gap owing to location between two bigger cities.
Community unable to have facilities they were entitled to + had to travel out of town for some basic things.
•Mt. Ascutney Health Center, supports some wellness programs but runs out of space, sees staff overburdened.
•Some outside providers are found waiting in their cars until appointment time for lack of space!! Hospital explores ways to combat this…
•Sr. RN Jill Lord turns intrapreneur & decides to spearhead the challenge. Creates a coalition of vested parties.
MISSION-LED VENTURES HAVE HIGHER CHANCES OF BUY-IN FROM LEADERSHIP AND STAKEHOLDERS
Mt Ascutney Hospital is a community hospital, the only hospital in Windsor. It has a history of being sensitive to the larger issues within the community.
Leveraging this aspect to offer a larger, dedicated program for community benefit was therefore not an entirely new concept to hospital leadership, making Lord and her team’s task that much easier!
Intrapreneurial opportunities do not come by often, esp. in more traditional organizations like hospitals; being intrapreneurial requires additional time, resources and most importantly, the backing of your superior.
If you can commit to the time and have modes of finding resources, take the opportunity, these ideas, as we see here can make a huge difference in the lives of entire communities.
Lord and the committee propose a one-stop shop for all wellness related issues.
1996-99
Coalition proposes a dedicated space for this- a connection center where community members could meet with various service providers from mental health to help with filing taxes.
Community to get all services they are entitled to right there in Windsor and not have to travel out of town.
Multiple sided planning gets underway, bearing in mind community residents and service providers, many of whom have to come from out of town.
A thorough examination of the process points to the emphasis on 'the local' for WCRC's success. Lord and her team have focused on capturing the importance of a center such as this to not just wellness but to the community's very existence.
1999-2001
Asking people to travel out of town for treatment and services always has the danger of them not going! This leads to diminished health levels and undue pressure on the Emergency Room.
By offering all services in town and under one roof, a lot of future health and wellness disruptions are avoided. Not to mention cost savings on public utilities like ambulances and emergency care. AND cost savings for the community members!!
LOAN FORGIVENESS: Negotiated with the town for loan forgiveness; agreeing to repay loan ONLY if the managing coalition wanted to purchase the building that housed the center. Given that WCRC has no intent of buying the building for itself, it amounts to zero repayment!!
GRANT WRITER: Negotiated with the local govt. for a grant write! Grant writing is a tough skill and time consuming. Having a professional grant writer freed up time for innovating team to focus on planning work AND enhancing chances of winning grants (which they did!)
The innovating team keeps emphasis on the local,
impressing about the benefits the new wellness center will have on the town. This allows for the idea to develop more traction, esp. in finding support from the local government & partners, who can see for themselves where their contributions are making a difference.
Center to be a part of the Mt Ascutney Prevention Partnership (MAPP), a local organization focused on wellness issues at community level.
- The local hospital Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) to provide logistical, HR and other intellectual skills to the center. The hospital also chips in with expenses when required.
- The owner of the building (where center is to be housed) to take care of all issues pertaining to building maintenance
- MAPP (in conjunction with the hospital) to bring all service providers to WCRC under one roof
- Rubric created to ensure ALL providers have a space /room for consulting when they arrive
Old railroad building identified and rented from a regional company that had no need for the building. This is also an opportunity for the Connecticut River Development Corporation (CDRC), who owns the building to have a positive association with the community, beyond its everyday work!
Local partners and sponsors sought. Given incentives like free use of space within WCRC for their own activities (like meetings and parties).
WCRC services are mostly for residents in Windsor and neighboring areas; they do not expect people to come from far and wide. Having your audience defined by a definite geographic boundary allows for more accurately assessing needs, estimating services required etc.
This in turn allows for measuring outputs with respect to the population subset using the program.
And in finding local partners, who can see right away who their inputs are going to benefit
2002 & beyond...
Hover over buttons for analysis
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The planning and implementation process has not been without its difficulties. From funding salaries for WCRC staff to getting the idea off the ground, Lord and her team have faced several speedbumps that they have been very open and honest in sharing.
Hover over text for critique
Lord initially faced stiff opposition from the community, who had their own impression as to what this Center might be for. This severely impede the planning process, until Lord realized that there was a movement to stop the Center. She had to personally take charge, address the community and explain the whole plan. This worked out well in the end, but a lot of time was lost in the process.
WCRC staff is paid from grant money, a situation Lord says is less than desirable. Writing grants, finding organizations that support these kinds of activities are all time consuming work, with no guarantee of actually winning the grant money. Lord says it is a constant worry and she is on the lookout for either a more permanent funding source, or find it in the hospital's accounts to incorporate WCRC staff salary.
Despite being a small town (popln: 3.419), the location of WCRC is off-the main road, hidden from view making access a bit confusing. The building where WCRC is housed came about out of sheer necessity and availability. Lord and her team knew their finances would not allow for a new building OR one prominently located. Being a small town also meant being limited in choices.
This is often the case for many social enterprises; Many fail to scale purely for this. Relying on government funding and / or grants is not a long-term solution.
Finding partners in the private sector is one avenue. Finding suitable partners who have a vested advantage in supporting your cause is an option not many enterprises opt for.
WCRC has been innovative in striking a partnership with the town and the building owner, as well as receiving some benefits from the hospital. Being a small rural community, they are restricted in their pvt. Sector options. This however could be an option for others.
Being a small town meant everyone knew everything and everyone.....but not necessarily accurate information! Transparency in planning, explaining issues at the community level (even if there is no overt community participation) in the actual project is critical smaller audiences, rural audiences.
These are some hard decisions social innovators have to take - with resources always in extreme short supply, compromises will have to be made. Innovating does not stop at the main idea, it has to extend into every aspect from wayfinding and signage to marketing the idea.
The building that WCRC is housed in is big and comfortable, but not enough to house 30+ agencies all at the same time. Working out a rubric to ensure ALL agencies and providers have a space to consult in when they arrive is a complex logistical task WCRC has to undertake. It is dynamic and providers' schedules change as well, making the space allocation process dynamic. However, given that not all providers are needed 5 days a week, this has now been fine tuned.
impact & more...
- Operational since Feb 2002, WCRC is open to ALL community members 5 days a week.
- WCRC takes sharing workspaces beyond just wellness providers and agencies. It invites other nonprofits in the area who do not have enough space to run their meetings, to do it at the WCRC meeting room (for a small fee). This allows for both income accrual as well as ensuring that WCRC becomes a true community resource and not just for the underserved.
- WCRC also offers basic services like phone and fax and computer/printers for those in need (to come in and use facilities there).
- It serves approximately 2.500 to 3,500 people in the area (not just limited to Windsor), mostly free of cost.
- The hospital (MAHHC) has increased goodwill for supporting such a cause, beyond direct medical care increasing brand value and enabling such things as winning national awards for community excellence (despite being a small community hospital!)
takeaways...
If there is one standout lesson learnt from the WCRC process, it is that one should know what to ask for!
- Loan forgiveness agreements with the town
- Asking for a professional grant writing services
- Negotiating with the building owner for maintenance
These are but three extremely strategic moves that Lord & her team have made that reduced the burden of resource procurement greatly. As social innovators an entrepreneurs, resource crunch is a constant problem. Even so, knowing what to ask from whom makes a significant difference in the final output (and subsequent outcomes).
If your idea is local in nature, make sure you talk to everyone around, impress upon them the advantages of your idea. Do your research and know who hold positions of power and decision. In smaller towns, people often hold multiple high positions and are on several boards. Know these things before approaching them and appeal to their interests.
Every bit counts when it comes to social good, not all innovations have to change the entire world all at once. One community at a time is not a bad thing at all!! If planned well and delivered in a timely fashion, it not only helps the community, it paves the way for scaling and serves as a role model for others around the world to follow!
Our association with WCRC began in the summer of 2012! From then on, we have followed its progress and process with keen interest, noting everything from usage of the space, services rendered to speedbumps.
We are forever grateful to RN Jill M Lord for taking the time (over several years!) to sit with us and explain how WCRC came about. She has been detailed and candid in explaining the entire process, providing supporting information and being available for additional discussions and emails.
acknowledging...
Click on the pictures for full-screen view and caption.
Have a question? Or more?
If you want to know more about the WCRC process or have unanswered questions, please use the Contact Form below and post your query. We will get back in 3-5 business days.
The Windsor Connection Resource Center be reached at http://www.mtascutneyhospital.org/community-services/windsor-connection-resource-center
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