Welcome to Connecting the Dots! - The new Vallejo Community Issues Examiner series that searches horizontally for the best resources to deepen your understanding of local issues and events that affect you.
Innovator Steve Jobs once said that the only way you can 'connect the dots' is by looking backwards. We beg to differ.
We believe that it is possible to grasp and develop a perspective about the importance of changes happening around us, as we experience them. But we must be willing to be open to new ideas and experiences, even when they clash with our long-held beliefs and opinions.
==================================
In this inaugural posting we take a look at the value and challenges of strategic partnerships. 'Strategic partnerships' is one of those industry buzzwords that has many dimensions, depending on who the partners are. When private sector companies collaborate, they may do so to ward off the pressures of larger competitors. Or to leverage economies of scale.
When private and public sectors partner, often these collaborators want to share and extend resources. A new partnership between Mare Island-based Touro University and Solano County's Health and Social Services (H&SS) department combines a number of strategic goals. And this matchmaking promises to be a win-win proposition for this private university and public government entity.
The promise of Win-Win
For the next five years Touro University will provide patient care physician's services at the county's clinics. Additionally, Touro University College (TUC) medical students and students in other healthcare fields will receive clinical training at the County’s clinics.
The University’s Vallejo-based Glen Cove Clinic will merge its community healthcare services with the County’s clinic in Vallejo. While clients of the countys' clinics may not see immediate changes, their future prospects for receiving more specialized care look bright. " These changes should initially be transparent however as this affiliation evolves we will be providing services that were not previously available at the County facilities." says Dr. Abraham Pera, Senior Associate Dean, College of Osteopathic Medicine at Touro University.
Pera also says that this new agreement increases practice opportunities for Touro med students: " We have the ability to provide more education with patient experiences for our students; potential options for research with the county are markedly increased; and we further increase our involvement in the community. We are also partnering to have the County involved with Residency training, which will further help our students serve the patients in the community."
Connecting the Dots
Strategic partnerships, like all unions, require plenty of work and dedication to keep the wheels turning smoothly. To gain some further perspectives about these challenges, we recommend you read Cause Marketing Examiner Bruce Burtch's excellent series, Profiles in Partnership.
Here's a sample from his series:
To get a more in-depth understanding of the challenges of creating university strategic partnerships, watch this Connecting the Dots featured video, sponsored by OECDLEEDTrento.
------------------------------------------------------------
Comments