NJHC Community Voice Survey County Reports are Here!

After months of data collection and analysis, the final county level Community Voice Survey Reports are now available on our website. Click here  to access the county reports. Thank you again to the many partners who helped promote and gather responses for our first Community Voice Survey!

Frequently cited concerns for the community members who responded to the survey across the five counties include access to mental health services, affordable housing, and comprehensive and affordable health insurance.  In each county, where sampling targets were met, data is provided for certain demographic groups, or at the municipality, or zip code level.  Survey responses, when combined with other data sources, will help inform the NJHC and its partners to develop and implement strategies that matter to the residents of our communities. 

The "open space" planning and strategy meetings are underway, allowing partners who are interested in leading a strategy to step forward and present their idea to the county partners. Partners are also given the opportunity to sign up to work with other partners on strategies that are presented.  Meetings held so far in Union County and Sussex County have led to a number of proposed strategies for 2019 including improving access to health insurance, reducing stigma and connecting residents to mental health resources, improving access to healthy foods, and improving connections from the clinic to the community to address social determinants of health.   

Summary reports from each of the county  planning and strategy sessions will be shared back with the county partners prior to the January meetings.  In the meantime, partners are encouraged to refine their proposed ideas/strategies and recruit additional partners to fill gaps in expertise. Stay tuned for details about the January meetings. 

Don't miss the upcoming strategy planning county committee meetings in Morris County (Oct 25), Passaic County (Oct 30) and Warren County (Nov 1). Cli ck here for the NJHC web calendar and meeting details, time, location, etc. 


Union County Committee
Sussex County Committee












NJHC 3 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN 2021



At the September Board meeting, the NJHC Board of Trustees voted to approve our first three year plan, Strategic Plan 2021.  The illustration above was an outcome of the strategic process that identified the Collaborative's vision, mission and value.  The strategic plan will help guide the leadership and efforts of the partnership as the Collaborative grows and matures. Strategic focus areas include, sustainable funding for growth, local and relevant data, and enhanced value to partners. 

Stay tuned for the 2019 Annual Funding Campaign. NJHC is seeking new funding partners and board members to help lead the work of the Collaborative as we move into our fifth year. 

New Jersey Health Initiatives 
Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey - Communities Moving to Action


The Morristown United for Healthy Living Coalition is happy to share that Mary Celis has joined the Coalition as Project Director. Mary brings a wealth of experience and expertise in coalition leadership.  Adrienne Valentine, a resident of Morristown, will also be joining the team as Community Organizer. Please join us in welcoming Mary and Adrienne.  

The Coalition has been working hard to recruit residents to join in the work of Morristown United.  As part of this effort, street captains have been recruited from the Census Tract 435. To read more about this strategy, see the recent New Jersey Health Initiatives blog post.

To learn more about the Morristown United for Healthy Living Coalition click  here.
Follow the coalition on facebook here.




     BUILD Health Challenge Update


Catherine Connelly, Tamara Contreras, Laura Hawkins, and Jim McDonald
Members of the Forward Franklin Alliance (FFA) attended the national BUILD Health Challenge convening in Denver in September.  The national conference brought together awardees from across the country and right here in New Jersey to network, share resources and best practices, and talk about the challenges and successes of year one of the BUILD Health Challenge initiative.   

Community Organizer, Tamara Contreras is attending the Center for Creative Placemaking course at NJIT. Part of this course includes developing a community revitalization project plan.

The FFA has already received several applications for a mini-grant through the Forward Franklin Community Revitalization Fund. Applications are under review by the Alliance. The goal of the Community Revitalization Fund is to improve public spaces and enhance opportunities for socialization and public gathering in Franklin. 

Fall Festival night in Franklin was a big success, as Franklin residents and families gathered at the Littell Center with their neighbors for pizza, board games, sack races and pumpkin painting. 

If you are interested in learning more about Forward Franklin, please reach out to Project Manager,  Laura Hawkins.    Follow Forward Franklin on facebook at 
f acebook.com/ForwardFranklinNJ/


Morris County Diabetes Pilot Initiative

The Morris County Diabetes pilot program is examining the impact of using a community health worker to connect adults who are diabetic or pre-diabetic and live in Morris County to tools and resources that will help them better manage their health. If you know someone in Morris County who could benefit from the assistance of a bi-lingual community health worker, diabetes education and self-management techniques please contact  Community Health Worker,  Kristian Galindo.   This program is being made possible by a grant from the Horizon Foundation.


NJTV Special to Showcase Impact of Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series

Another important initiative of the Horizon Foundation is addressing the opioid epidemic in New Jersey.  Don't miss the  Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series.  The series, organized by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey and The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, helped bring vital information on the opioid crisis to all 21 counties in the state.  The town halls also provided a forum for leaders in the fight against the epidemic to showcase initiatives that have been making a positive impact.  Tune in at 9 p.m. Thursday, October 18 or at 10 p.m. Monday, October 29.  You can find your NJTV channel here . 

 100 Years since the 1918 Flu Pandemic 

Check out this video about the 1918 Flu pandemic. 

Protect yourself, your family and co-workers and get your flu shot this year. CDC recommends getting the vaccine before the end of October. 
The North Jersey Health Collaborative Partner Newsletter is distributed five times a year, Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and at year-end (December) to share and highlight our collective work. Prior issues can be found in our newsletter archive here .  
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