The Office of Community Health, Outreach & Partnerships
Many programs, one mission.
Perhaps you have visited the car seat inspection station at Lawrence & Memorial, or the Norwich Fire Headquarters. Or you have had your blood pressure checked by a nurse in your faith community. Or perhaps you have seen the breast cancer awareness exhibit at the Hygienic Art Galleries, taken part in The Get Healthy Challenge with your co-workers, heard about efforts to reduce teen pregnancy in New London, or even received nutrition information from Eat Smart Grow Healthy and your child’s daycare center.
All of these programs are connected to Community Health, Outreach &Partnerships, Lawrence & Memorial’s health promotion and injury prevention initiative. Lawrence & Memorial has made a significant investment in our communities in order to meet its mission to improve the health of our region. Community Health, Outreach & Partnerships accomplishes this through prevention and wellness programs while also providing important linkages to local public health and community agencies.
County-wide health needs assessment
One such linkage included leadership in the first-ever county-wide Community Health Assessment for New London County, a study undertaken in collaboration with numerous local agencies and with the University of New England . The assessment revealed much about the health status and health-related behaviors of residents of the region, and provides guidance about where to focus prevention programs. Following the release of the study, the New London County Health Collaborative was formed to provide a synergy of effort among local organizations. The Collaborative, chaired by L&M Hospital CEO Bruce Cummings, includes all of the major public health, health care and social service stakeholders from throughout the County. Through this effort, it is expected that resources will be brought to the region to address issues that emerged in the study as critical needs including: access to care, utilization of hospital emergency departments for conditions better treated in primary care settings, chronic disease management, tobacco use, overweight and obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and mental health.
Core Programs
Community Health, Outreach & Partnerships’ core programs: the Faith in Action Network, the Get Healthy Challenge, Healthy New London, and SAFE KIDS New London County, impact thousands of area residents. The Faith in Action Network provides the support and resources to parish nursing and health ministries efforts in nearly 30 area faith communities to create healthy congregations, and to strengthen health promotion activities and connections to health services in a way that is culturally and linguistically appropriate.
The Get Healthy Challenge supports people’s commitment to making healthy changes in their lives through a pedometer-based fitness program. To date, over 3000 people have participated, with many reporting dramatic improvements in their health.
Healthy New London responds to residents concerns and builds on their ideas about how to make their city healthier. The primary project of Healthy New London is the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program which has succeeded in implementing changes in policy and community awareness of the issue. Births to teens in New London continue to outpace the state levels by three times, but through the work of our Teen Pregnancy Prevention Task Force, we are making an impact and bringing state and national resources to our area to reverse the trend.
SAFE KIDS New London County’s mission is to prevent injuries and fatalities to children 0-14. Activities include extensive outreach and educational programming focusing on: child passengers, pedestrians, bicycles/scooters, sports, homes, water, and playgrounds. Thousands of New London County children have benefited from SAFE KIDS’ activities and SAFE KIDS’ collaborations are extensive, with seven area organizations distributing SAFE KIDS vouchers for free car seats to needy families.
Community Benefits
Community Health, Outreach & Partnerships is also responsible to record and track all of Lawrence & Memorial’s community benefit activities which amount to an over $30 million per year investment. Community benefit activities are programs and services designed to improve health in communities and increase access to health care. They include educational programming, student internships, community disaster preparedness, health promotion, faith community and school outreach programs, services to the homeless, injury prevention programs and many other services. Community benefit activities demonstrate Lawrence & Memorial’s commitment to caring for the communities we serve.
The commitment of Lawrence & Memorial Hospital to improving the health of the region is truly demonstrated through the work of its Office of Community Health, Outreach & Partnerships.