Grant: Operating Grant: College and Community Innovation Social Innovation Fund

College-Community Collaboration; Health And Community Care; Impact Assessment; Older Adults; Partnership; Program Design; Rural Area; Social Determinants Of Health; Social Innovation; Social Prescribing

<html> <head> </head> <body> The purpose of this project is to research, design, and assess the impact of a social prescribing (SP) initiative for older adults in Prince Edward County (PEC), Ontario. The project will measure the impact of SP on participants&#8217; well-being and quality of life, as well as its effectiveness in strengthening the collaborative network of community-based health and social care providers in PEC. This social initiative builds on a multi-sectoral partnership between organizations in the rural area of PEC, and the Centre for Healthy Communities (CFHC) of the Applied Research and Innovation Office (ARIO) at Loyalist College. The CFHC brings a research team with expertise to ensure evidence-based decision-making and program design. The goal of this study is to identify the socio-economic impact of an SP pilot on community health in PEC. This study encompasses a mixed-methods and community-based participatory action research approach through a collaborative multisector partnership. It develops in four phases to accomplish the following milestones of the work plan: asset mapping, needs assessment, SP program co-design and evaluation, as well as knowledge mobilization and the final report. In alignment with the College Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF) areas of support, the research objectives are to: a) Strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration; b) Identify and leverage local health care and community assets; c) Co-design and implement an SP pilot d) Assess the tailored SP initiative for PEC&#8217;s older adults; and e) Provide relevant training and foster a knowledge-driven environment. Primary data collection will draw upon semi-structured interviews and focus groups with different stakeholders (i.e., health and social care professionals, community organizations staff, students, researchers, older adults, caregivers, and community members in PEC). Secondary data will be collected through public information (i.e., websites, newspapers, other), as well as reports and data provided by health care and community social service providers. Knowledge mobilization activities will engage diverse audiences (i.e., academic, and nonacademic) through different local and external venues (i.e., community town-halls, conferences, publications). This project aims to foster social connectedness and health equity in PEC while creating solutions that are relevant to other rural communities facing similar challenges regionally, across Canada, and beyond. </body> </html>