AWC July Community Breakfast

The Aurora Wellness Community is striving to be a better neighbor by working with our communities instead of for our communities. We are leveraging community breakfasts to engage with key stakeholders to share our vision and plans while seeking opportunities to build partnerships. Our goal is not to reinvent existing solutions but to identify and formalize synergistic relationships that will create collaborative, comprehensive, and equitable opportunities for individuals, families, and communities for a thriving Aurora.

Key Takeaways and Highlights

1. Community members present acknowledged AWC needs to be hyper-aware of CU Medical Campus' relationship with the community and the obstacles the relationship will pose for AWC to reach its goals and have the impact it desires.
2. Stories of experiences both positive and negative in the healthcare system were shared marking the need for a system for AWC to be accountable for these touchpoints. AWC has an opportunity to create a system to listen to and hear these stories of harm or oppression to reflect, and partner with community to build better health outcomes in Aurora.
3. Community leaders, representing larger communities, offered to create space for  AWC to meet their members and gain their insight into how to best partner. 
4. Participants referred to local health centers as Dawn and Stride using singular names. This is important to note as something for AWC to consider because Montview as a singular name for the AWC community health center may be confusing or challenging.
5. There was a general consensus from the group that community was a better naming convention choice than family and that center was a better choice than clinic. Further conversations about naming conventions are needed and thoughtful ways to create a sense of belonging must be prioritized, along with consideration for translation and cultural relevance. 
6. Connections to community navigators and the continued centering of community leaders and organizations will be significant for ACW decision-making not just naming conventions.
7. Participants discussed their apprehensions about the clinic’s location on campus. Some participants agreed the campus represents an all-in-one place to receive care which is an exciting prospect.

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