The Regional Center is fully staffed for the first time in many months! Elizabeth Theriault has joined us to fill a newly-created position to work with the Community Health Network Areas (CHNAs) in our region. The CHNA support positions are a wonderful development. With these positions, Charlene, who has been at the center for many motnhs now, and Elizabeth, our newest addition, will be able to devote all of their attention to building the capacity of the 5 Metrowest CHNAs. With members ranging from interested community members to health department directors, city planners, school nurses and everything in between, the CHNAs are vibrant groups that allow cross-border collaboration and resource-sharing to make our communties healthier and more engaged. As the CHNAs carry out community health assessments, they're finding that there are more similarities than differences between towns when it comes to issues of concern and visions for a healthier community. Elizabeth and Charlene are in constant contact with CHNA leadership across the region. They are helping to assure that the CHNAs can have their questions answered, can grow to accomodate new funding and new members, and can be as impactful as possible with their time and money. In addition to responding to CHNAs' requests, the Regional Center's role is to connect CHNAs with one another so that they can share ideas and build on each others' successes. In a state where much of public health is carried out city-by-city and in silos according to the current funding streams, the CHNAs create an opportuntiy for people from all walks of life and all realms of community building to come together to promote health region-by-region. I'd like to officially welcome Elizabeth to the Regional Center's team and I invite you to watch for the results of her hire in your local CHNA. To learn more about your CHNA or to get involved, look under the Community Health Initiatives tab or contact Elizabeth or Charlene through our website.
Yesterday, Charlene and I were able to attend the Blue Hills Community Health Alliance (CHNA 20) winter event. It's always a pleasure to attend events like these - to be able to meet people from around the community, and hear about the work they are doing.
We also learned about a great resource, Massachusetts 211. Donna Jackson, the Community Outreach Coordinator from Massachusetts 211, spoke about the service, which is a way to connect people to the health and human resources they need. By dialing 2-1-1 from any phone in Massachusetts, people are connected to a trained operator, who will help them find the resources they need. Interpretation in over 100 languages is also available. The database of services is also available online at www.mass211.org. Organizations can check online to make sure they are listed as a resource, and to ensure that their information is correct and up-to-date. Folks at the meeting were excited about this resource, both as a way to connect people to services, and as a way to let people know about the services they offer.
If you are not already linked into your local CHNA (Community Health Network Area), I would encourage you to find out about how to get involved. CHNAs provide great professional development and networking opportunities, and often have funding opportunities as well. To find out more about CHNAs, and to learn about the 5 CHNAs in the Metrowest region, see http://healthier-communities.org/info/chna.
