Taking time for Reflection

from Debra

As you read the postings for this blog, you may have noticed that there is a theme that has unfolded as we move through the Vital Nation Certification process for becoming the Healthiest Community in America. This process involves making sure that everything we do supports St. Leonard's mission and core values. Using this as a guide, this theme involves gathering and releasing resources. The resources being our skills and competencies and our commitment for directing our talents and energies toward reducing chronic conditions, disabling conditions, and reducing chronic disease risk factors by creating a social community model that is healthy.

We are still in the beginning stages of this process, which involves "gathering" and we have done this through beginning a social walking program and developing measuring processes for the many wellness teams that are developing throughout the campus; involving residents, staff, and volunteers and families. We wanted to create this in a celebratory format as we gather and release teams; however, this has been the easiest part of the entire process. St. Leonard is a community that thrives on supporting the human spirit and being a part of something outside of ourselves is the natural and right thing to do.

The releasing part involves building flexibility into team building so that as we grow in knowledge and understanding; together each team can decide on the wellness moment or program that is right for them. Teams are releasing their strategies and goals within their areas and beginning without hesitation, as we have much work to do. The Wellness Advisory Team is offering their personal wellness philosophies so that you can meet the team behind this process and identify with their passion to reduce fraility and failure in all areas of the campus of St.Leonard. Case studies are being released so that we can find the threads that keep us close and excited about optimal wellness as it comes in many precious forms. This will take time; it will take patience, understanding, compassion, and the benefits will be immediate and long lived, helping to sustain St. Leonard by reducing the incidence of morbidity and increasing individual and group levels of satisfaction in all of the eight dimensions of wellness.