As the holidays approach and another year wraps up, I’d like to pause to thank those who have helped with PCW’s work throughout the year. You, our members, are our ambassadors in your communities. With your neighbors, colleagues, friends, and the many organizations with whom we partner, you help guide our work. You are our mentors and advisors, advocates, and doers. You make it possible for us to make health and wellness a priority wherever we live work and play. Please accept our humble thanks for all you do for PCW and Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Have a joyous, peaceful and healthy holiday.
Karen Borgstrom
Director, Partners for Community Wellness
In 2015, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, Mount Ascutney Hospital and Health Care, New London Hospital, and Valley Regional Hospital conducted Community Health Needs Assessments as a means to gain greater understanding about health needs of the communities they serve. Using similar tools and approaches, the hospitals surveyed 2,000+ community residents; 120+ key community stakeholders; hosted 10+ focus groups; and reviewed a multitude of public health and demographic data to inform the assessment. Using similar methods will allow the five hospitals to identify commonalities and differences across their hospital regions; use assessment data to help shape hospital community health improvement plans; and identify opportunities for cross-region initiatives to address highest priority needs.
Across all hospital regions, the 2015 Community Health Needs Assessment identified concerns about mental health and substance use as being leading community concerns, with cost of and access to health care and prescription medications also being a high-priority concern. The report identifies income, employment, housing, and transportation as having a significant impact on health and access to health care. The report also notes that residents of all ages, incomes, and across all hospital regions have interest in bikeways, walking paths, recreation programs, and other opportunities to enjoy an active lifestyle.
With each hospital region assessment now complete, hospitals are starting to develop individual and joint community health improvement plans. You are welcome to share your input about the needs assessments and offer your input into hospital community health improvement plans by sharing your ideas by completing the survey at this link: https://dhmc.wufoo.com/forms/input-on-community-health-needs-assessment-finding/
Greg Norman
Director, Community Health Improvement
Dartmouth-Hitchcock
As more Community Health Needs Assessments from other locations become available, we will share them on our website.
NH Public Health Advisory Councils
Brainstorming Notes from the Upper Valley Public Health Advisory Council's CHNA Review Event
Along with many others, NH Public Health Advisory Councils will be using the information from the Community Health Needs Assessments to create a community based strategy for addressing the identified needs of their communities.
On December 4th the Upper Valley Public Health Advisory Council invited members of the community together to review the needs identified in their CHNA and begin planning future health improvement work. Upper Valley PCW members Jane Masters and Bill Boyle (PCW Chair) were in attendance to participate in that discussion.
Would you like to join PCW in its effort to improve Advance Care Planning conversations?
Learn how to facilitate one-on-one conversations with community members and their loved ones about Advance Care Planning.
The next free facilitator training will be January 11th in Lebanon from 8am-4pm.
Contact PCW Program Coordinator Nicole LaBombard at nicole.e.labombard@hitchcock.org or 603-653-0756 to learn more.
Thank you
Thank you to all of our members who give to PCW and D-H. Whether you give of your time or in other ways, your generosity is invaluable
For those who would like to make a tax-deductible gift to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Annual Fund before the end of the year, you may do so here.