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Letter from the Director by Vicente Sanabria Dear Community Partners, As we enter into a new presidential era, my thoughts turn to what unfortunately is an under-utilized resource in our work – neighborhood residents. If you look throughout the history of humanity, one thing that is evident is that community is the one constant we can count on. There has never been a time when community in one form or another has not contributed to society as a whole in a positive manner. As the global economic picture changes the rules of life, the community will continue functioning. Our efforts to create Healthier Communities must have at the core the most important “non-traditional” partner usually absent – neighborhood residents. One of our Healthy Communities Principles states it this way – “Diverse resident participation and widespread community ownership.” This statement brings me to ask the question of how can we transfer the ownership of coalitions to the neighborhoods and build capacity so that THEY include institutions as partners in THEIR processes to create Healthier Communities. The issues of sustainability, deepening social justice, embracing community change, and developing additional vehicles of empowerment can be built on the neighborhood foundation that already exists. Neighborhood residents are the reason social services are necessary. They are the shoulders upon which we all need to stand upon in order to get a different view of how change happens. Let’s push the chairs back and open up the circle so that these “non-traditional” partners may be included in greater numbers. Their voices and actions will benefit all of our work in the area of public health. I would love to hear your response to this article. Please feel free to contact me at 508-438-0515 or vsanabria@luk.org Yours for community health, Vicente
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