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Resident Leadership Academies
Resident Leadership Academies (RLAs) are multi-week training programs for San Diego County residents who want to learn how to improve their local communities. Training sessions focus on topics such as community leadership, crime prevention and safety, land use and active transportation, and healthy food systems.
Residents learn skills and best practices to address the issues that most affect their communities, and they work alongside their neighbors to help improve quality of life where they live. Upon graduation, attendees have new knowledge and access to a support network to help them lead community improvement projects.
RLA Updates and Opportunities
Many individuals and organizations are involved in Resident Leadership Academies across the County. The latest updates can be found on social media.
RLA Curriculum
Those who would like to facilitate an RLA can find the Facilitator/Train the Trainer and Participant materials below. The RLA Curriculum consists of a Participant Manual, modifiable PowerPoints, and various templates and handouts. The curriculum covers subjects such as Community Building Principles, Social Determinants of Health, Land Use and Community Planning, and more.
The County of San Diego currently has two approved RLA curriculums available. For groups funded for a particular RLA session or project, the version of the curriculum to be used will be determined by your funder (see links below). For all other groups, either version, or elements from both, may be used for the trainings.
- 1st Edition Curriculum
1st edition curriculum covers resident-driven community improvement efforts, including community building principles, neighborhood assessment activities and strategies for stakeholder engagement. - 2nd Edition Curriculum
2nd edition curriculum expands on the 1st edition to include embedded activities, reflection questions and content on smoke-free environments and climate change.
Additional RLA Curriculum
- Heat Risk Education Curriculum
The Heat Risk Education Curriculum is a set of PowerPoints and facilitator guides meant to support community leaders and residents involved in community engagement work. The curriculum covers strategies for communicating about global warming and heat risk to the community to motivate behavior change, and covers topics such as global warming, heat illnesses, at-risk groups, prevention, and taking action.
RLA Resources & Opportunities
View the Community Health Improvement Partner's Resident Leadership Academy page for the latest on meetings and trainings.
Bi-Monthly RLA Council Meetings
Meetings to provide additional training, discuss RLA updates, and to engage with other RLA practitioners. Anyone in the RLA network (graduates/residents, facilitators, CBOs and agencies supporting RLA) is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Technical Assistance (TA) for RLA Practitioners
TA is provided by the County to any RLA Practitioner involved with RLAs. TA may consist of assistance with planning of future RLAs, and development, refining, and implementation of Community Improvement Projects (CIPs), for example. For groups funded for a particular RLA session or project, the TA provider will be determined by your funder.
RLA Network Supplemental Training Workshops for Current RLA Practitioners
Supplemental trainings are available to anyone in the RLA network (graduates/residents, facilitators). These trainings focus on expanding leadership skills and offering opportunities for current RLA practitioners to engage with one another. The supplemental trainings may cover, but are not limited to, such topics as: Presentation Skills, Meeting Facilitation, and/or Applying for Resources.
New Facilitator Training/Train the Trainer Seminars
Seminar participants attend 3-4 full days of training, which consist of a detailed review of the curriculum, facilitation practice and tips for RLA planning and coordination. One or more new facilitator trainings per year will be offered through 2019.
Contact us for additional information on any of the resources listed above, or to learn about RLAs happening in your community.
RLA Success Stories
Elizabeth Hospice Earns Palliative/Hospice Heart Failure Certification From American Heart Association
Janet Clancy, Communications Officer, The Elizabeth Hospice
The Elizabeth Hospice, California's largest independent nonprofit hospice provider, is one of only a few hospices nationwide that has earned a Palliative/Hospice Heart Failure certification from the American Heart Association. The American Heart Association is the world's leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health. This certification provides an evidence-based framework for evaluating palliative and hospice care agencies against the American Heart Association's rigorous science-based standards for heart failure patients.
The American Heart Association certification signifies that The Elizabeth Hospice's heart failure program delivers services based on current standards aligned with the American Heart Association science and that the agency adheres to evidence-based requirements to improve care and quality of life for heart failure patients.
"We are proud to receive this certification from the American Heart Association," said Sarah McSpadden, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Elizabeth Hospice. "The tools and resources provided by the AHA help us provide education and opportunities for our agency to work toward quality efforts for our patients with heart failure. This accomplishment reflects our commitment to providing quality care."
For 45 years, The Elizabeth Hospice has provided medical and emotional support to children and adults facing the challenges of an advanced illness. These vital services are delivered by compassionate caregivers skilled in providing high-quality care in intense and demanding situations. Since 1978, The Elizabeth Hospice has touched the lives of more than 120,000 people in San Diego County and Southwest Riverside County.
To find out how your loved one diagnosed with heart failure can benefit from hospice care, contact The Elizabeth Hospice at 800.797.2050.