About Our Region

The Central New Hampshire Regional Public Health Network is a collaborative working to enhance and improve public health-related services within the region. The Central New Hampshire Regional Public Health Network is hosted by the Central New Hampshire Health Partnership with Mid-State Health Center as the fiscal agent. The mission of the Central New Hampshire Regional Public Health Network is to provide leadership and coordination to enhance the readiness of regional, country and local public health emergency response partners and to support efforts to prevent substance misuse. In addition, we strive to assist by strengthening the planning and response capabilities of the regional public health system partners, including our newly established Public Health Advisory Council.

Public Health Region

The public health region of Central New Hampshire Regional Public Health Network includes the communities of  Alexandria, Ashland, Bristol, Bridgewater, Campton, Ellsworth, Hebron, Holderness, Groton, Lincoln, Livermore, Plymouth, Rumney, Thornton, Warren, Waterville Valley, Wentworth and Woodstock. The Network serves the approximately 27,322 people living in these communities.

Regional Public Health Advisory Council

The Central New Hampshire Public Health Advisory Council is comprised of community leaders and representatives from a diverse group of community sectors. The primary work of the Council is to set regional health priorities, provide guidance to regional public health activities, and ensure coordination of health improvement efforts. This council is under development and should have its members designated and begin meeting by April 2014.

Priorities for Action

• Continuum of Care – Continuum of Care—The Central NH Regional Public Health Network provides leadership and coordination in developing a comprehensive, effective, and well-coordinated substance misuse services Continuum of Care. This work includes convening subject matter experts and stakeholders to identify assets and gaps and to develop regional plans that initiate cooperative actions that increase awareness of current services, remove barriers to accessing services, increase capacity of existing services, and develop new services to fill gaps. Our resiliency and recovery oriented system of care, which will act as a platform to share information, develop integration and referral processes, and ultimately address barriers to accessing services and supports.  Working together, we will reduce the number of Central Region residents misusing alcohol and other drugs, while increasing the number of individuals receiving treatment and recovery support services that integrate primary and behavioral health.The Central Region Public Health Network is moving forward with goals outlined in our regional plan.  One area of focus is the development of a community recovery center for the Pemi-Baker region.  We are in the early stages of development and are fully engaged in community capacity building and infrastructure building.For more information about the Central NH Regional Public Health Network’s Continuum of Care contact Debra Naro, Continuum of Care Facilitator at dnaro@cadyinc.org.  To review the regional development plan, go to http://cadyinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Central-NH-Regional-Continuum-of-Care-Development-Plan-2016.pdf
• Substance Misuse Prevention – The Central New Hampshire Regional Public Health Network provides infrastructure, leadership, and coordination to increase the number and reach of evidence-based substance misuse prevention programs, policies, and practices implemented in the region. Utilizing an asset-based public health approach, the network coordinator, Deb Naro, along with the regional Substance Misuse Prevention Committee, and community partners engage and support the business, education, health, safety, government, and community and family supports sectors in the implementation of the region’s strategic plan. To review regional priorities included in the Central Region’s 3-year strategic plan and detailed action items in the substance misuse prevention work plan, visit www.cadyinc.org. For more information about the Central New Hampshire Regional Public Health Network’s substance misuse prevention work, contact Deb Naro at 603-536-9793.
  • Strategic Prevention Framework – The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) uses a five-step process know. to promote youth development, reduce risk-taking behaviors, build assets and resilience, and prevent problem behaviors across the life span. The SPF is built on a community-based risk and protective factors approach to prevention and a series of guiding principles that can be utilized at the community level. The idea behind SPF is to use the findings from public health research along with evidence-based programs to build capacity within the prevention field. This, in turn, will promote resilience and decreased risk factors in individuals, families, and communities.
  • Guiding Good Choices – Guiding Good Choices (GGC) is a five-session curriculum that provides parents of children with the knowledge and skills needed to guide their children through early adolescence. It seeks to strengthen and clarify family expectations for behavior, enhance the conditions that promote bonding within the family, and teach skills that allow children to resist drug use successfully.
  • Good Behavior Game – Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a classroom-based behavior management strategy for elementary schools that teachers use along with a school’s standard instructional curricula. GBG uses a classroom-wide game format with teams and rewards to socialize children to the role of student and reduce aggressive, disruptive classroom behavior.
  • Social Norms Campaign—The social norms campaign uses a variety of methods to correct negative misperceptions (usually overestimations of use) and to identify, model, and promote the healthy, protective behaviors that are the actual norm in a given population. When properly conducted, it is an evidence-based, data-driven process and a very cost-effective method of achieving large-scale positive results.
  • Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention:
    • Prescription Drug Take-Back Events – This initiative establishes collection sites across NH and our region to participate in a national one-day prescription drug collection event in which residents can safely dispose of unwanted or expired pharmaceutical drugs from households and residences in a safe, accessible, and convenient manner. Rx Take-Backs are held in April and October and help to reduce access to addictive drugs by individuals, specifically children.
    • Permanent Prescription Drug Disposal Locations – This program establishes permanent prescription drug drop-box locations across NH and our region. These sites will provide local residents with the ability to dispose of unwanted or expired pharmaceutical drugs from households and residences in a safe, accessible, and convenient manner. Permanent disposal sites help to reduce access to addictive drugs by individuals, specifically children. The Plymouth Police Department hosts a permanent collection box that is available to the public 24/7.
• Public health emergency preparedness – The Central New Hampshire Regional Public Health Network provides leadership and coordination to improve the readiness of partners to mount an effective response to public health emergencies and threats. This work includes the maintenance of a Regional Public Health Emergency Annex, which includes plans for response to and recovery from public health emergencies that impact communities in the region. In addition, the Central New Hampshire Regional Public Health Network works closely with hospitals, municipal emergency management directors, and other governmental, public health, and health care entities to plan for public health emergencies and ensure the provision of public health, medical, and behavioral health services before, during, and after an incident.  Additionally, our network works closely with communities on a regular basis to prepare for potential situations that could impact the communities, such as impacts from weather and other potential natural and man-made threats. We also offer frequent preparedness trainings for businesses, agencies, and individuals. For more information about Regional Public Health Network’s work regarding public health and emergency preparedness, contact  Angel Ekstrom, Regional Public Health Administrator, at 603-238-3582.
• Emergency volunteers – The Central New Hampshire Regional Public Health Network coordinates efforts to recruit, train, and deploy a volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) during public health emergencies. The MRC and CERT support local emergency responders to provide both emergency and non-emergent public health services, as well as other support services throughout the region. MRC and CERT volunteers include medical, non-medical public health, and general professionals. For more information about the Central New Hampshire CERT and MRC unit visit us at www.cnhhp.org.
• Flu clinics in schools – The Central New Hampshire 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  Angel Ekstrom, Regional Public Health Administrator, at 603-238-3582.