Mission & Overview
The Central New Hampshire Health Partnership (CNHHP) is a collaborative of organizations working to enhance and improve community health and public health-related services throughout the region. The mission of CNHHP is to improve the health and well-being of Central New Hampshire communities by collaborating to optimize prevention, access, and coordination.
Public Health Advisory Council (PHAC)
PURPOSE AND FUNCTION
The role of the Public Health Advisory Council (PHAC) is to advise the Public Health Network by identifying regional public health priorities based on assessments of community health; guiding the implementation of programs, practices and policies that are evidence-based to meet improved health outcomes; and advancing the coordination of services among partners.
The purpose of the PHAC is to perform the following functions:
- Identify and prioritize regional community and public health needs.
- Encourage the development and coordination of appropriate community and public health services and programs.
- Encourage, promote, and support community engagement on public health issues.
- Advise the Capital Area Public Health Network members on all major policy matters concerning the nature, scope, and extent of community and public health concerns and responses.
MEMBERSHIP. The PHAC includes a broad Membership body and an Executive Committee that meet bi-monthly. Current Executive Committee membership includes high-level staff representation from partner organizations in the Central NH Public Health Network.
Central NH Public Health Network
Mission and Overview
The Central NH Public Health Network is a regional collaboration, working to enhance and improve public health-related services within the region. The Central NH Health Partnership (CNHHP) hosts the Central New Hampshire Public Health Network, one of 13 regional public health networks in New Hampshire. Each public health network includes a host agency that convenes, coordinates, and facilitates a broad partnership of organizations and individuals who contribute to or have a stake in the health of their region. Each host agency provides leadership through a regional Public Health Advisory Council and provides a variety of services including Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Substance Misuse Prevention.
The mission of the Central NH Public Health Network is to build a sustainable public health partnership that serves our communities. Mid-State Health Center acts as the fiscal agent of the Public Health Network.
What Is Public Health?
Public health is the practice of preventing disease and promoting good health within groups of people– from small communities to entire countries. Public Health is YOUR health. It embodies everything from clean air to safe food and water, access to healthcare and safer communities.
Through public health planning and prevention initiatives, the public gets sick less frequently, children grow to become healthy adults through adequate resources including health care, and our community reduces the impact of disasters by preparing people for the effects of catastrophes such as hurricanes, floods and terrorism.
Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response
The Central Region Public Health Network (CRPHN) provides leadership and coordination to improve the readiness of partners to mount an effective response to public health emergencies and threats. The Public Health Emergency Preparedness initiative of CRPHN includes the maintenance of a regional annex, which includes plans for response to and recovery from public health emergencies that impact communities in the region. CRPHN also works with local Emergency Management Directors to strengthen and develop regional sheltering plans to respond to the needs of the communities during events.
The Central NH region serves approximately 31,000 residents. It is the responsibility of local municipalities to promote health, prevent disease and injury, and provide protection from public health threats. During a crisis, appropriate and prompt response and communication allows the Central New Hampshire (NH) Public Health Region (PHR) to work effectively with its partners, engender public trust in its scientifically-based health recommendations, and perform its public health mission.
Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC)
The Central NH Public Health Response must maintain very close coordination and communication with certain agencies and institutions in order to carry out its functions should a public health emergency occur. A critical element of this plan is the integration of public health personnel and information into the emergency planning structure. Therefore, the following agencies and municipalities are included in the Central NH PHR and participate on the Central NH Public Health Network’s RCC:
- Grafton County
- Grafton County Dispatch
- Mid-State Health Center (MSHC)
- Speare Memorial Hospital (SMH)
- Pemi-Baker Community Health (PBCH)
- Newfound Area Nursing Association (NANA)
- Lakes Region Mental Health Center
- Plymouth State University (PSU)
- Communities for Alcohol & Drug Free Youth (CADY)
- Granite United Way, Whole Village Family Resource Center
- American Red Cross, Granite Chapter
- NH Department of Health & Human Services (NH DHHS)
- NH Homeland Security/Emergency Management (NH HSEM)
- Starr King Fellowship
- Plymouth Congregational Church
- Rumney Baptist Church
- Becket Family Services
- Freudenberg
- SAU 2
- SAU 4
- SAU 23
- SAU 48
- SAU 68
- The Holderness School
- Town of Alexandria
- Town of Ashland
- Town of Bridgewater
- Town of Bristol
- Town of Campton
- Town of Ellsworth
- Town of Hebron
- Town of Groton
- Town of Holderness
- Town of Lincoln
- Town of Plymouth
- Town of Rumney
- Town of Thornton
- Town of Waterville Valley
- Town of Wentworth
- Town of Warren
- Town of Woodstock
Flu Clinics in Schools
The Central NH Regional Public Health Network partners with local schools to vaccinate students against seasonal influenza. This program prioritizes schools where children are less likely to be insured or have other barriers to being vaccinated. For more information about this initiative, contact the Regional Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Angel Ekstrom, at (603)238-3583 or [email protected].
Emergency Volunteers
The Central Public Health Network coordinates efforts to recruit, train, and deploy a volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) during public health emergencies. The MRC supports local emergency responders to provide emergency public health services throughout the region. MRC volunteers include medical, public health, and general professionals. For more information about the Central NH MRC contact Angel Ekstrom (603)238-3582.
Organizational Structure
The concept of a public health system, as described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a complex network of individuals and organizations that have the potential to play significant roles in creating the conditions for health. The component parts of a potential system can improve health individually, but when they work together toward a health goal they act as a true system – a public health system.
The organizational structure of the Central Region Public Health Network (CRPHN), with Mid-State Health Center as fiscal agent, includes a Public Health Advisory Council (PHAC), a PHAC Executive Committee, a Substance Misuse Prevention (SMP) Leadership Team/Subcommittee, a Substance Use Disorders Continuum of Care (CoC) Leadership Team/Subcommittee, Public Health Preparedness Leadership Team/Subcommittee, with additional subcommittees and workgroups created as needed.
Region Served
The Central New Hampshire Public Health Region includes the towns of Alexandria, Ashland, Bridgewater, Bristol, Campton, Ellsworth, Groton, Hebron, Holderness, Lincoln, Livermore, Plymouth, Rumney, Thornton, Warren, Waterville Valley, Wentworth, and Woodstock. CNHHP serves approximately 30,000 people living in these 18 communities.
Growing Population
The population of the Central NH Public Health Region has been growing (15.0% increase between the 2000 and 2010 US Census) at a rate faster than the population growth in New Hampshire overall (6.5% increase). Most of this population increase has occurred among residents who are 50 years of age or older, while the total number of residents under 50 has declined slightly.
Older Population
Residents of the Central NH Public Health Region are slightly older on average with 15.2% of the population age 65 years or older compared to the State of New Hampshire with 14.2% of the population 65 or older.
People Living in Poverty
The percentage of individuals in the Central NH Public Health Region living with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (32.7%) is notably higher than the rate for New Hampshire overall (22.0%). It is also important to note that the percentage of children (ages 0-17) living in poverty across the Central NH Public Health Region (13.8%) is also notably higher than in New Hampshire overall (10.9%).
Disability Status
Disability is defined as the product of interactions among individuals’ bodies; their physical, emotional, and mental health; and the physical and social environment in which they live, work, or play. Disability exists where this interaction results in limitations of activities and restrictions to full participation at school, at work, at home, or in the community. In an attempt to capture a variety of characteristics that encompass the definition of disability, the US Census Bureau identifies people reporting serious difficulty with four basic areas of functioning – hearing, vision, cognition, and ambulation. As shown by the table below, a higher proportion of the population in the Central NH Public Health Region report living with a disability compared to the state overall.
Funding
The Central Region Public Health Network is generously supported by the following funding partners:
