Introduction
Research is consistent that most community development strategies aim to liberate communities by ensuring justice, self-reliance, and economic independence (Mutongu, 2012). In developing and developed economies, community service organizations have been at the forefront in helping communities to address their common needs and concerns through the use of available strategies. This paper details how asset-based community development (ABCD) strategy might be implemented and supported in empowering the less fortunate members within the local neighborhood.
Issues and Concerns
It has been noted that most poor members within the neighborhood have a negative attitude toward available healthcare services due to their social-economic status. Additionally, this group of the population has low educational attainment, heavy domestic and family responsibilities, and seems to be guided by sociocultural influences and religious beliefs that hinder them from contributing to socio-economic activities aimed at triggering development in the neighborhood.
Empowering Members to Seek Healthcare Services
It is possible for the local hospital to use the ABCD framework to address the issue of low usage of healthcare services in this group of the population. The ABCD strategy provides an enabling environment for the local hospital to use its community outreach programs to mobilize the targeted population (less fortunate members in the neighborhood) to work with other members of the community in creating local economic opportunities (Boyd, Hayes, Wilson, & Bearsley-Smith, 2008). Specifically, the hospital can use its outreach staff to penetrate local churches and community-based organizations (CBOs) with the view to mobilizing individuals, associations, and institutions within the neighborhood to use locally available assets (e.g., educated members of society, role models, and community sports personalities) to create awareness on the need for the less fortunate members to use available healthcare services to reduce incidences of mortality and morbidity (Boyd et al., 2008).
One-to-one conversations, house meetings, and church gatherings could be used to build relationships with affected members of the neighborhoods and ensure that they are directed to available community resources (e.g., social support groups, libraries, and church ministers) to empower them on the need to use healthcare services to improve their quality of life. Such gatherings may also be used to identify why this group of the population is not interested in seeking healthcare services and what they feel is the best approach to addressing the issue.
After identifying the issues, the hospital can arrange for its outreach staff to liaise with important personalities in the community to lobby the local government and other interested stakeholders to address the issues raised with the view to increasing the uptake of healthcare services. Here, the community service organization can use the advocacy approach to expose the health and socioeconomic challenges affecting poor people in the community with the view to forcing local and central governments to develop health policies that are favorable to the targeted population (Boyd et al., 2008). Other community-based healthcare providers may be brought in to create awareness on the need of individuals to change their negative attitudes toward seeking healthcare and also to advise them on available CBOs and social support groups where affected people could seek assistance. The success of this project can be assessed by looking into the attitudinal changes and analyzing community health data to note mortality and morbidity trends in this group of the population.
Conclusion
This paper has used the ABCD strategy to demonstrate how a community service organization (local hospital) can empower the less fortunate members of society to increase their uptake of healthcare services. Drawing from the discussion, it is evident that this community development strategy can be used to ensure that members use available community resources and assets to address the issue of low uptake of healthcare services among poor people in the neighborhood due to socioeconomic status.
References
Boyd, C.P., Hayes, L., Wilson, R.L., & Bearsley-Smith, C. (2008). Harnessing the social capital of rural communities for youth mental health: An asset-based community development framework. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 16, 189-193.
Mutongu, Z.B. (2012). Women’s participation in community-based organisations’ development as a strategy for poverty reduction in Kenya. Priscilla Papers, 26(1), 10-17. Web.