Redefining prevention of CKD and its associated diseases means we must address the underlying determinates resident in the cultural, environmental and economic factors that initiate the CKD Chain. WiseCommunities is a long term strategy for modifying personal behaviors and building social capital in communities to mitigate the common risk factors and stem the tide of CKD and its associated diseases. Through Healthsourcing®, we will ensure sustainability and scalability in the WiseCommunities program in order to transform our nation’s health. We lay the ground work for this initiative with medical ethnographic and sociological studies in real communities across the country – called WiseCommunities on the Ground - and grow these strategies through deployment of online social networking technologies in order to have the greatest and most efficient, sustainable reach – called WiseCommunities Online.
KidneyWise National Summit 2010 from KidneyWise on Vimeo.
We do not propose to install new community service agencies in each locale, but to create networking and partnership services and tools that help communities use and build upon the investments that already exist. Through the power of Healthsourcing®, we will gather local teams of skilled experts which become the “face” of WiseCommunities in each community. KidneyWise guides and supports the local research efforts through our Regional Director office in each locale, which in turn is supported by our National Program Director office.
Technologies available today that were not around even a couple of years ago enable us to implement policies and initiatives that revolutionize the way we approach disease management as a society. Our suite of simple, easy to use tools allow WiseCommunities teams to collect groundbreaking data while truly building social capital in the communities in which they live. WiseCommunities Online functions very similar to role playing games. The system awards points to the participants and provides encouragement and rewards at different levels. The data that is collected through the process is used by our WiseCommunities Program Director and Regional Directors to identify key areas at both the local and national level that require the most help and can actually be helped.