Vital signs
Partnership in Pictou County to measure the vitality of the community in areas such as quality of life, income, health, education
The Aberdeen Health Foundation and United Way of Pictou County have created a partnership to ensure that resources are sent to where they will be needed most, and where they will have the greatest impact. That partnership has a name: Vital Signs.
According to a press release from the Aberdeen Health Foundation, Vital Signs “measures the vitality of a community,” gathering information about social and economic trends in a particular community. This is done with an overarching goal of reporting on how well a community is faring.
The program measures are
quantified in areas that measure quality of life, such as income, health, education — and a sense of community belonging.
The Aberdeen Health Foundation and United Way have already built a strategy to gather this vital information on the community. An event entitled A Vital Conversation on May 9 will serve that purpose.
“I think it’s really important for the community to understand that everyone’s input is valued. This is a community project to make our community better,” said Jessica Smith, the executive director of United Way Pictou County. “The information generated by this process will help residents, businesses and organizations in Pictou County to better focus their time, energy and resources. This is an incredible opportunity.”
Vital Signs plans to compile and distil the information it gets through A Vital Conversation. The result of that will be a report in layman’s terms that will focused on the collected, analyzed data from a variety of sources.
Sources reflected in the report will include municipalities, businesses, non-profits — and provincial and national sources.
The process Vital Signs uses to measure community vitality is not an old one. According to information released from the Aberdeen Health Foundation, many Canadian communities have been using a similar method since 2006 to gather information on their quality of life, in an effort to address their own local issues.
“Close to home, a Vital Signs report for Lunenburg identified that demographic issues within the county were contributing to a labour shortage,” reads information sent by the Aberdeen Health Foundation.
In the case of that particular issue for Lunenburg, NOW Lunenburg County got to work, focusing on rectifying it. That involved hiring a population growth coordinator who took a 36-day panCanadian tour, equipped with a highly decorated information trailer, to promote the opportunities and way of life in Lunenburg, all across the country.
The tour and trailer garnered significant media coverage and put the spotlight on Lunenburg and Lunenburg County — a success for NOW Lunenburg County.
“The Aberdeen Health Foundation and the United Way of Pictou County are committed to using evidence from the Pictou County Vital Signs Report to inform their decision making for greatest impact,” said Robyn Eaton of the Pictou County Health Foundation. “Imagine the opportunities and possibilities if we work together, across sectors, to address identified priorities. Collectively, we can and will have greater positive impact.”