Since assuming the role of Chair of Partners for Community Wellness in November, I have embarked on a steep learning curve. I participate on the D-H Population Health Council and have attended two meetings of the trustees’ Value Committee. I bring your feedback, pro and con, into the room with me, and I plan to use this space to provide you with feedback and follow-up from the leaders at D-H.
Population Health has its own language and acronyms, and a different set of players – many of whom work outside the walls of our institution. It is an exciting time to work towards making our population healthier, and not just working on improving care for the sick. I hope you will read about some of these exciting activities which are happening or have occurred since November.
I also want to urge you to become more involved. One of the foundations of PCW is to be the “keepers of the public trust.” To do that we need comments and feedback. We are the conduit from our communities to D-H. We need innovative ideas and action, not just articulated complaints. I hope you will take our public trust responsibility seriously and get involved and inspired.
One last exhortation – Advance Care Planning is a PCW priority. If you do not have advance directives, please think and it and take action.
Be well,
Bill Boyle
Chair, Partners for Community Wellness
A Message from the Director
Karen Borgstrom
Dear PCW Members,
Mental Health and addiction issues are impacting our families, friends and colleagues, in tragic ways, every day. We’ve made a commitment to become a part of the solution. Please join representatives from Dartmouth-Hitchcock, PCW, and partners from around NH at the launch of the Campaign to Change Direction to learn what you can do as PCW members, and concerned and caring citizens, to help.
My best,
Karen Borgstrom
Director, Partners for Community Wellness
By the Numbers...
In the Month of April
▪ 272 people attended PCW events around Advance Care Planning, Healthy Aging, and Early Childhood Health ▪ 15 people signed up for advance care planning conversations with trained PCW facilitators ▪ 9 people signed up to join the Raising of America efforts happening in the Lake Sunapee Region ▪ 2 churches expressed an interest in partnering with PCW on a future Advance Care Planning event ▪ 2 businesses expressed an interest in joining PCW and Honoring Care Decisions in an Advance Care Planning pilot ▪ 7 communities were involved in this work: Hanover NH, Norwich VT, New London NH, Bow NH, Bellows Falls VT, Peterborough NH, and Campton NH
Norwich VT Advance Care Planning Conversation April 15
"Thank you, thank you for providing a wonderfully worthwhile event, which also served as a terrific community-builder! I believe people formed quite a few new friendships!"
Meet Our Partner: ALL Together
All Together Logo
ALL Together is a community resource for substance misuse prevention, treatment, recovery and advocacy.
Who we are We are made up of local community coalitions and a leadership council. Our goal is to have members from all sectors of the community: Safe-ty and Law Enforcement, Health and Medical, Community and Family Supports, Education, Business, Government, Faith leaders, Parents and Youth. We invite all community members to join us in our work.
What we do ALL Together works towards reducing the harms of substance misuse in the Upper Valley Region.
How we do it ALL Together is supported by the New Hampshire Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services, the Drug Free Communities Grant, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and by Dartmouth-Hitchcock.
How can you help?
ALL Together is looking for a community liaison, and has asked PCW for help filling this role.
This liaison will:
• Support ALL Together’s goal of awareness raising and education for the broader community.
• Understand the current trends of alcohol and other drug use in the Upper Valley (training and education provided).
• Understand the barriers and opportunities for prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery of alcohol and other drugs (training and education provided
• Act as an ALL Together representative at a local or regional civic, cultural, faith based or health or human service organization of which you are already a member or one identified by ALL Together as needing a liaison.
• Attend ALL Together monthly meetings to report out on the happenings of the organization you act as a liaison for.
• Participate in monthly ALL Together meetings using the community perspective you gain from your role at community organizations and as a community member.
• Regularly read emails from the ALL Together co-coordinators and visit the ALL Together website.
Total Monthly Hours: Estimated 5 hours.
Characteristics of an ALL Together Community Liaison:
• Engaged community member.
• Individual who would like to be involved and informed about the regional substance misuse prevention and continuum of care community efforts.
• Individual with time restrictions or barriers to involvement in larger projects.
• Individual who cares about the health and wellness of the community.
• Reliable and able to commit for at least 12 months.
Contact Nicole LaBombard at nicole.e.labombard@hitchcock.org or 603.653.0756 if you would like to nominate yourself or someone else for this position
Calendar of Events
Keeping Children Safe and Well: A Nation's Challenge
Join CHaD for the 1st Annual Ferguson Community Lecture presented by visiting professor Dr. George Youngson from Aberdeen Children's Hopsital, Aberdeen Scotland.
WHEN: May 12, 6:00 - 7:30pm
WHERE: Auditorium H, DHMC, Lebanon
No RSVP Required
A Digger Dialogue: Addressing the Opiate Crisis
WHEN Wednesday, May 18th, 6 to 8 pm
WHERE Northern Stage, in White River Junction
Dartmouth-Hitchcock is sponsoring an important conversation about the opiate crisis, in collaboration with Vermont Digger (an online news outlet in Vermont). You are invited as a special guest to be a part of this conversation. The event will feature D-H's Dr. Mark McGovern, Professor of Psychiatry, Community & Family Medicine, and of The Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy & Clinical Practice, as the keynote speaker. Also featured is a distinguished panel of experts:
• Annie Ramniceanu, Vermont Pretrial Services Director, a program designed to help people convicted of crimes access human services for substance abuse and mental health needs
• Renee Davis, Director of Substance Abuse and Criminal Justice Services at the Clara Marin Center
• Bess O’Brien, Director and Producer of the documentary film “The Hungry Heart,” based on the prescription drug crisis in Vermont and the compassionate work of Dr. Fred Holmes
• Sarah Laros, local small business owner and individual in long-term recovery
RSVP on the Vermont Digger website
Change Direction New Hampshire Kick Off
The Campaign to Change Direction is a national initiative designed to change the culture of mental health in America.
Please join Governor Maggie Hassan, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Senator Kelly Ayotte, Congresswoman Annie Kuster, and Congressman Fred Guinta as we launch the first statewide initiative with special guest Barbara van Dahlen, PhD, Founder and President of Given an Hour.
WHEN: Monday, May 23, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
WHERE: New Hampshire State House - Representatives Hall - 105 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301
Fitness for Lyme: An Interactive Exercise Sampling to Get Moving!
WHEN: Saturday, June 11th 9:00am-12:00pm
WHERE: Lyme Congregational Church
Keynote by Bill Boyle, PCW Chair
Sponsored by Lyme Health Ministry, Centers for Health and Aging at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and Partners for Community Wellness