Community Health Institute (CHI)
The CHI is committed to improving the health and well being of people and communities in Northern New England. The CHI works with public and private sector clients to build capacity to carry out health improvement initiatives designed to meet community needs.

The CHI has been working to strengthen New Hampshire's public health infrastructure since 1997. The CHI authored a proposal on behalf of the New Hampshire Public Health Association for a planning grant through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to undertake a Statewide planning process intended to transform the public health system for the 21st Century. The CHI facilitated a two year planning process to identify strengths and weaknesses in the existing public health system in New Hampshire involving over 250 individuals and organizations. The CHI authored the Public Health Improvement Plan which detailed recommendations for improving the New Hampshire public health system.

One of the most important outcomes of the planning process was consensus that local public health capacity needed significant improvement throughout the state and that regional models for local public health should be developed to accomplish the necessary improvements. The CHI was awarded an implementation grant by the RWJF Turning Point Program in 2000 to support implementation of a grant program to establish models of local public health. Four public health coalitions were initially funded through this initiative. In addition to providing funds to build local public health entities, the CHI provided technical assistance and support to the coalitions.

In 2001, the CHI was contracted by the NHDHHS to expand the work of the Turning Point Program to include planning, equipment and communication enhancements related to the Health Alert Network to the four public health coalitions, as well as 8 additional cities and towns. In 2002, the NHDHHS contracted with the CHI to expand the number of public health coalitions with additional funds received from the Centers for Disease Control's emergency preparedness and bioterrorism initiative. Under contract to the NHDHHS, the CHI continues to provide technical assistance and support to the 14 public health coalitions.

NH Institute of Health Policy and Practice
The NH Institute of Health Policy and Practice seeks to create new knowledge and a more cost effective community health system through innovation, production, use and dissemination of information. The Institute's community-health related work focuses on facilitating community access to data for local assessment and grant purposes as well as providing the training needed to implement community health improvement initiatives. The Institute provides technical assistance and training to the public health network under contract to the NH DHHS.