North Country Health Improvement Planning Summit

Addressing & Improving the Health of Our Communities

Supported By:Jessie B. Cox Fund for Health of the New Hampshire Charitable FoundationEndowment for HealthUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRobert Wood Johnson Foundation

North Country Health ConsortiumThe North Country Health Consortium (NCHC) is a rural health network, created in 1997, as a vehicle for addressing common issues through collaboration among health and human service providers serving Northern New Hampshire. NCHC is engaged in activities for:

• Solving common problems and facilitating regional solutions

• Creating and facilitating services and programs to improve population health status

• Health professional training, continuing education and management services to encourage sustainability of the health care infrastructure

• Increasing capacity for local public health essential services

• Increasing access to health care for underserved and uninsured residents of Northern NH

NCHC Member Organizations• 45th Parallel EMS• Ammonoosuc Community Health

Services• Androscoggin Valley Home Care• Androscoggin Valley Hospital• Center for New Beginnings• City of Berlin, Public Health and

Home Health Nursing• Coos County Family Health Services• Cottage Hospital• Dartmouth Medical School• Family Resource Center• Franklin Pierce Physician Assistant

Program• Grafton County Human Services• Indian Stream Health Center• Jane MacKay• Littleton Regional Hospital• LRGHealthcare• Mid-State Health Center

• Morrison Nursing Home• NH Catholic Charities• NH DHHS, Rural Health and Primary

Care Section• North Country Home Health &

Hospice• Northern Human Services• Personal Touch Home Care• Plymouth State University, Center for

Rural Partnership• ServiceLink• Tri-County Community Action

Program• Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital• Weeks Medical Center• White Mountains Community

College

Welcome

Why We’re Here:

We’re here today because we know that when communities come together and collaborate we can move the North

Country forward to a healthier place.

Overall Health

• 18% of Coos County residents have poor to fair health

• Statewide only 11% of residents have poor to fair health

Substance Abuse

• The North Country has a highest number of per capita DUIs in the state.

• The North Country has the highest number of per capita substance abuse-related emergency room visits in the state.

• More than 40% of North Country High School students report drinking on one or more of the last 30 days.

Obesity

• 29.4% of North Country residents are Obese

• 39.4% of North Country residents are Overweight

You’re here today to begin the process of addressing these and other issues important to

your community

Agenda8:45am-9:30am County Health Rankings Presentation

Julie Willems Van Dijk, RN, PhD9:30am-10:15am Snapshot of New Hampshire’s Health Profile

José T. Montero, MD, MPH10:15am-10:30am Break

10:30am-11:15am Success Stories: “A Healthy Community –Together We Can” Mary Kushion, MSA

11:15am-12:00pm What We Heard from You How our communities have prioritized health factors

12:00pm-12:45pm Lunch

12:45pm-2:15pm Facilitated Breakout Sessions: How to make it work

2:15pm-2:30pm Break

2:30pm-3:15pm Putting it All Together and Next Steps Outcomes from strategy breakout sessions

3:15pm-3:30pm Evaluation and Wrap Up

Goals for the DayBy the end of the day, participants will be able to:

• Examine the major health issues facing the North Country and the Sate

• Discuss ways other communities have chosen to address these issues

• Evaluate the health issue(s) most affecting residents in your community

• Identify strategies to address the issue or issues

• Identify the next steps necessary to implement these strategies