“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men [people]; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.” – Herman Melville
The past few years have heightened our awareness of the invisible “fibers” that connect us as humans. We increasingly recognize that our actions impact not only ourselves and our family and friends, but strangers far and wide. It draws into focus the precious limitations that this one life offers each of us and the possibilities within it.
At Jefferson Center, our mission is to “inspire hope, improve lives, and strengthen our community” by reducing barriers to accessing effective behavioral healthcare and providing the resources that allow individuals and families to thrive.
Sometimes the call to action is so great, yet the energy and resources can feel inadequate. To most fully meet the needs of the people we serve, we build upon our understanding of the power of connection and are deliberate about where we place our energy and resources to have the most significant impact.
2023 is a year to be intentional about connecting with the people we serve, with others in our community, and with our team. We can only know what people truly need by asking them. We can only be genuinely responsive to those needs by creating tailored pathways to address those needs. We can only be effective by prioritizing the energy, investments, and resources we have to drive change by being thoughtful about how we partner and share resources to maximize the impact. At Jefferson Center, our resolution for the New Year is to declutter the noise that takes up space and energy and to be more available for what is most important.
When we listen to clients, our communities, and our team, when we work to understand the drivers of health and well-being, and when we recognize the barriers that exist for so many people to access what they need, the following emerge as critical elements to guide our mission:
- Health and well-being are nearly impossible when basic needs, such as safe and reliable housing and adequate food, are unavailable.
- To foster hope, people need to have a sense of belonging and connection with others, through which trust and hope are made possible.
- Every person arrives with a unique story and set of circumstances that offer tools for resilience and barriers to change.
- Showing compassion, flexibility, and targeted resources center each person at the heart of their care.
- Meeting people where they are on their journey and having the right resources when they are ready to reach out for support can make the difference between recovery and relapse.
- Living with purpose and meaning allows us to thrive.
In 2023, we are adopting strategic initiatives guided by the elements above. We will:
- Expand our programs and services to address the underlying drivers of health and well-being,
- Cultivate a fulfilling workplace that allows our team to find connection and meaning through their work,
- Create a sustainable infrastructure to ensure diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging,
- Invest in partnerships and opportunities that will advance our mission and strengthen our ability to serve our communities into the future.
By looking back, we can step forward and make a positive impact on the lives of those in our community. Each person has a unique journey to travel, a story to tell, and deserves the opportunity to be seen, valued, and thrive. We are not alone on our journey, and we cannot exist in isolation. When we are intentional in how we listen and work with those around us, our impact on others is more significant than we might imagine, and both the responsibility and burden are upon us to carry this with appreciation, humility, and grace. Through connection with others, we shed our illusion of separation and choose to fully engage with what is possible. We collectively evolve and become greater than we were before.