Asset Based Approach In Health Care

We have a growing epidemic in our society today that crosses all cultural, socioeconomic and health literacy level. The use of drugs and the overdose deaths caused by their use. This issue is one that will not be controlled by a single method, but that of the necessity of multiple approaches. An asset-based approach can be described as the collective resources which individuals and communities have at their disposal, which protect against negative health outcomes and promote health status. Although health assets are a part of every person, they are not necessarily used purposefully or mindfully. Asset-based approaches are concerned with identifying the protective factors that support health and wellbeing. They offer the potential to enhance …show more content…
The initiation of an Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is just one possibility that could bring harmony and necessary support to individuals that have found themselves in just such an issue. What an ABCD builds on are the assets that are already found in the community and mobilizes individuals, associations, and institutions to come together to build on their assets-- not concentrate on their needs. An extensive period of time is spent in identifying the assets of individuals, associations, and then institutions before they are mobilized to work together to build on the identified assets of all involved. Then the identified assets from an individual are matched with people or groups who have an interest or need in that asset. The key is to begin to use what is already in the community (“Asset Based Community Handout,” …show more content…
This realism is "The Cup Half Full, Half Empty" thought process that the asset-based approach is derived from. As long as people are ambivalent towards in this case their addiction and recovery, even the most thought out approaches will likely be to no avail. An ABCD approach offers opportunities to make communities more cohesive, build connections and enhance protective factors, all of which could act to prevent drug related problems from developing or evolving. By community involvement in developing the individuals strengths, as opposed to only seeing their weakness, perhaps the collaborative approach will assist the individual into making the necessary lifestyle changes to overcome their addiction and in-turn will make for a better community for