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Message from our new President
Dear NJHC Partners,
We begin 2017 with sixteen county-based work groups implementing strategies that reflect the common agenda and shared vision that brings us together.
We have participated in shared assessment, collecting data and now begin the process of measuring the results of our efforts.
We are building on consistent and open communications to build trust, assure mutual objectives and appreciate common motivation.
We have created a backbone organization to manage collective impact and coordinate participating organizations and agencies. We have negotiated the pillars of collective impact and continue to be recognized for the work we do in charting our way through sustainable system change to improve community health.
We have formed a vibrant, structured, cross-sector partnership that continues to grow and advance our vision -
Healthy Communities, Healthy People. We have the opportunity to drive initiatives, including those that address social determinants of health. And we can only do this with the support of each and every partner who is active in the work of the Collaborative.
I look forward to another exciting year of negotiating our way, with new Executive Committee and Board of Trustee members, to making a real difference in how we do this work.
Sincerely,
Arlene Stoller, MPH
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Meet the NJHC 2017 Board of Trustees
This year we welcome the following
new members to our Board of Trustees:
Melissa Acree,
NJ 2-1-1 Partnership
Ashley Anglin,
Atlantic Health System
Dan Callas,
TransOptions
Stephanie Gorman,
Morris County Office of Health Management
James McDonald,
Sussex County Dept of Health & Human Services, Division of Health
Atif Nazir,
Union County Health Officers Association
Dena Quinones,
Montclair State University - Department of Public Health
Kathleen Skrobala,
Lincoln Park Health Department
Katherine Whitehead,
Township of Hanover Health Department
For a
complete list
of our Board of Trustee members go
here.
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Community Health Improvement Plans launched January 1, 2017
County Committees met in Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Union for the official launch of the county-specific community health improvement plans. Workgroups will provide updates on the plan peformance measures at each of the quarterly county meetings during the year, in response to the questions:
How much did we do?
How well did we do it?
Is anyone better off?
Sharon Johnson-Hakim, Chair of the NJHC Data Committee explains, "reporting on the performance measures at the county meetings helps us to track our progress and promotes accountability. We are all in this work together." Each workgroup will be asked to give a verbal report on their performance measures at the county meetings, starting in April.
Go
to our website to access the county specific community health improvement plans;
Morris County
,
Passaic County
,
Sussex County
, and
Union County
. If you have any questions about your workgroup's performance measures or how to report/track them, email
data@njhealthmatters.org.
Come to the next county meeting to provide your support and feedback to the workgroups.
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Mark your Calendar Now for our April County Meetings
Morris County: April 13th (10:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
Passaic County: April 26th (9:00 AM - 11:00 AM)
Sussex County: April 13th (12:00 - 2:00 PM)
Union County: April 12th (2:00 - 4:00 PM)
Warren County: April 28th (10:00 - 11:30AM)
*Scroll down to the calendar icon below for meeting location/details.
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It's Official! Warren County Community Health Coalition is now part of the NJHC
The first meeting of the Warren County Committee was held on January 27th. Peter Summers, Health Officer of Warren County will serve as Chair, with Mary Jo Harris from the Family Guidance Center as Chair-elect. Partners in Warren kicked off the first meeting with discussion about the health needs of the county, the role of existing coalitions, and opportunity to develop new workgroups to address issues such as chronic disease prevention; access to healthy foods, nutrition and physical activity; substance use; and access to care and mental health services.
Sign on to participate in one of the new or existing workgroups by completing this
survey
. Join us for the next meeting on April 28th at Warren County Community College.
If you or someone you know is interested in participating or learning more about the Warren County Committee, please contact
Peter Summers.
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Local Data Collection is taking place across the Collaborative
Several workgroups are implementing data collection strategies to provide additional information to inform their work. The NJHC Data Committee provides assistance to the workgroups in the development of collection tools and analysis of the data. This local data will be shared back with the NJHC partners via our website. Listed below are some of the projects underway:
Passaic County Access to Care Workgroup:
The Access to Care group is working to improve access for underinsured and migrant populations in Passaic County. A survey to collect information included questions about access to and use of health insurance, reasons for not having insurance or why it is not being used, if they have access to a doctor they consider their own, and where they go for care when they are sick. They also collected demographic data, including language(s) spoken in the home. Surveys (185) were completed at health fairs and day care centers in four communities. The goal is to get a deeper understanding of access issues in the county - beyond what our
county-wide indicators provide.
Sussex County Access to Care Workgroup:
The Access to Care group in Sussex is surveying uninsured and underinsured populations at community events to obtain information about challenges and barriers to care. Using a scripted questionnaire, surveyors are conducting face to face interviews to capture the realities and nuances of what hinders individuals/families from accessing primary care. This first hand knowledge will help direct the group's efforts at improving the system of care for these populations.
Sussex County Mental Health Workgroup:
This group is seeking to improve access to mental health services for residents of Sussex County, particularly those with low-incomes. Finding the
mental health provider rate unhelpful, the group has designated a data collection process to measure the average wait time for out-patient, non-emergent, therapy appointments for both adults and children in the county.This data will be collected from providers who accept Medicaid. They will turn this data into an indicator they can track overtime to assess whether the situation has improved in the county.
Union County Obesity Workgroup:
The goal of this workgroup is to reduce the
obesity rate of low-income children
(birth to five) in Union County. As part of this work, a survey has been developed to help identify needs and barriers related to access to care and health education for prenatal and new mothers and their children. The survey will be distributed to healthcare professionals who work with mothers and children in Elizabeth.
More to come soon!
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Morristown United For Healthy Living Coalition
In its second year, the Morristown United for Healthy Living Coalition is making steadfast progress in this first grant-funded initiative of the collaborative.
The coalition has identified two priority areas during the recent community health needs assessment, housing/community infrastructure and financial inequality. More specifically, the goal is to improve the condition of existing homes, increase access to affordable housing stock (rented and owned), and improve the built environment/community infrastructure through education, outreach and policy change/advocacy. Next month the coalition will meet to prioritize and determine strategies.
Funding for this grant has allowed for the hiring of a part-time Community Organizer. Carlos Sotelo, has recently taken on this position. Carlos shared, "As a resident of this community, I am passionate about going out and talking with people, sharing and gathering information, and helping to raise awareness about existing resources and protections for individuals and families living in this neighborhood." Please join us in welcoming Carlos to the team.
For more information visit the Coalition webpage here, or email morristownunited@njhealthmatters.org. Next meeting is scheduled for February 27th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at St. Margaret's Church in Morristown.
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500 Cities Data now available on our Website
Data has been added to our website for four cities in our region which made the list of the 500 largest cities in the United States! In our last newsletter, we shared a link to the 500 Cities Project reports found in our
Resource Library. You can now view the new data indicators for census place (city) of Elizabeth (Union County), Clifton, Passaic, and Paterson (Passaic County) on our
website.
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Regional NJHC Committees
Do you get excited about data? Join our Data Committee to participate in developing data collection tools, conducting data analysis, and providing technical support to our workgroups. Learn more here.
If you are more of a creative type, consider joining the
Communications & Marketing Committee.
We are seeking new members to help develop our social media platform, take photos, write articles, press releases, etc. Learn how you can get involved here.
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Have you visited our Resource Library?
New resources have been added to our library, to access go here. We are also continually adding Partners to our Partner Resource Directory. If you have a resource you would like to share with our partners or want to include your organization in our directory send an email to
Catherine Connelly.
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Make sure to check out all the exciting events listed on our collaborative calendar!
If you are a NJHC Partner and would like to post or share information about an upcoming event, please forward information to
Catherine Connelly
.
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