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Center Receives Grant from Boston Foundation for C2B Initiative
|  The Collins Center was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the Boston Foundation, one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the country, to launch the City 2 Business (C2B) initiative. The goal of this new undertaking by the Center is to help cities preserve and grow their business bases by improving the way municipal governments interact with the small and mid-sized businesses located within their boundaries.
The C2B initiative will enable city governments to use social media technology to strengthen the ties between local businesses and city agencies. For example, municipal departments could use this technology to reach out to firms to gain insights into how proposed city actions, from bus route changes to fire code amendments to zoning rules, will affect them. Similarly, the use of Internet technology can make applying for permits and licenses, scheduling inspections and filing required reports much easier. Effective use of these new technologies will make transactions between cities and their local businesses more convenient and more efficient.
"As large firms restructure, it is clear that the economic vitality of Massachusetts cities will rely more than ever on small and mid-sized businesses," said Steve Adams, C2B project director for the Center. "Through this initiative, all city departments can become partners in creating a more competitive environment for small and mid-sized businesses, enabling them, in turn, to contribute more to our economy."
The generous support of the Boston Foundation will enable the Collins Center to produce a white paper detailing the C2B approach and making the case for participation in the program. The Center will also develop a prototype of the C2B social media platform and begin outreach to cities and businesses.
"Municipal operations affect local businesses in countless ways across the entire spectrum of public services," said Collins Center Executive Director David Sparks. "The C2B Initiative is aimed at changing the way city agencies think about their business constituents and helping them make partners of those businesses to shape city actions that affect them."
More information on this project can be found in the August 2010 edition of The Collins Center Report or by contacting David Sparks at david.sparks@umb.edu or at (671) 287-4824. |
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Center Completes Analysis of the Chelsea School Nursing Program
|  At the request of the City of Chelsea, the Center conducted an analysis of the City's school health delivery system. The Chelsea Public Schools (CPS), like most urban systems, face the challenges of increased educational, social and health care needs of student populations in the context of dwindling financial resources. The City of Chelsea is one of the most densely-populated cities in the nation, and one of the poorest. Eight per cent of the 5,368 students in the City's school system have a first language other than English. The City's dense housing configuration, aging stock and close proximity to several major highways, as well as to Logan Airport, all contribute to health risks for the community, including asthma and other respiratory concerns, lead poisoning, obesity, mental health issues and increased exposure to disease.
It was clear to City officials, and Center staff, that the nurses and health aides on staff care deeply about their work and the children they serve. The Center was asked to assist in an analysis of the staffing patterns, administrative requirements, organizational structure and systems of communication within the school nursing program.
This organizational analysis came at a challenging time for the school nursing program in Chelsea. The number of school nurses and health aides has been reduced; the volume of paperwork has increased; and the complexity of the health issues that children and staff face is rising. The Center was able to make an array of pragmatic and adaptable recommendations, both short- and long-term, for the City and CPS to consider.
The recommendations that could be implemented in the short term include: improve communication among all the parties involved in the City's Student Health Services; enter all student immunization and other relevant health information in to the data system at the time of registration; provide employees additional training on the data system; standardize organizational procedures across schools; align school nurse and health aide schedules to the students' schedules; and create a system to allow volunteers to be used for translation services.
The report, a copy of which is available on the Center's website here, also contains several long-term recommendations that Center staff felt were very important, but would take more time to plan and implement, including: review Medicaid reimbursement budgeting and procedures; explore additional collaborative opportunities with Massachusetts General Hospital and local universities; plan a strategy to obtain additional grant funding; and periodically evaluate whether the school nursing program should report to the City or CPS.
Granted, the current situation is a difficult one, but the Center believes these recommendations will help improve communication and collaboration, enabling high quality services to be delivered to students in the most efficient manner. |
| Center Hired by Westfield to Review Possible City-School Collaboration |  Westfield, a city in Hampden County with a population of approximately 42,000, has retained the Collins Center to analyze the administrative organizations and functions of the City and its School Department, with a particular focus on the Human Resources, Finance and Purchasing units. The City has asked the Center to assess whether duplication of effort exists in these units and whether there are possibilities for increased collaboration, or even consolidation, between the two.
The City also asked the Center to provide it with information about any similar efforts undertaken by other Commonwealth municipalities. A final report detailing the Center's findings will be made available at the conclusion of the project.
In light of the current financial stresses Massachusetts cities and towns are experiencing, many are conducting similar reviews. Collins Center staff bring considerable experience to the Westfield project, having conducted a similar evaluation for the town of Ipswich as well as several projects developing new job descriptions for municipalities across the state, another avenue to the elimination of duplication. |
| Large Turnout for First StatNet Training Day |  More than 120 representatives from New England municipalities, state agencies, and non-profit organizations attended the first StatNet Training Day held Wednesday, May 18th at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The training was sponsored and organized by the Collins Center, along with the Rappaport Center at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and the Pioneer Institute.
The program, which was conducted in front of a standing room only crowd, consisted of a mixture of individual presentations by experienced practitioners of municipal performance management, expert panel discussions, role-playing and breakout sessions on how to implement and maintain effective data-driven systems of management. Watch for a full article describing the day in detail in next month's edition of The Collins Center Report. |
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Online Performance Management Course To Be Offered in July
Summer is a good time to develop your skills. Our online Performance Management Course let's you learn when it's convenient for you and you can still enjoy your summer vacation. You can participate in the course anytime of the day or night and any day of the week that is convenient for you. This six module course is a good way for you to get acquainted with online education and learn relevant skills for enhancing performance in the public and non-profit sectors.
You can register now at: http://uc.umb.edu/corporate/government-performance/
The course is being offered from July 10, 2011 to August 20, 2011. Please try to register by Friday, July 1, 2011, so we can provide you the best service.
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The Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
Phone: (617) 287- 4824
FAX: (617) 287- 5566
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About Ed Collins
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Throughout his outstanding public career, Edward J. Collins, Jr. epitomized the spirit and goals of the Center that now bears his name. We at the Collins Center are proud to continue the work of Ed's life - helping governments work effectively and productively for the benefit of their citizens.More about Ed |
 | | McCormack Graduate School Dean Steve Crosby on the Collins Center |
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