While health care typically deals mainly with diagnosing and treating disease, public health looks at trying to improve a broad spectrum of outcomes related to health and well-being -- ideally, preventing health problems from developing in the first place. That’s the basic idea behind prevention strategies, which can be understood as three types of measures: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.
Speaking Public Health: Strategic Prevention Framework
Speaking Public Health: Community Engagement
Community Engagement sounds like a straightforward practice. On the surface, it’s simple: To do work that impacts a community, it’s generally best to involve the members of that community in the work being done. But true engagement is much deeper and more complex than just “involvement.” In fact, when done well, community engagement may be one of the more complicated aspects of any public health initiative.
Regional Spotlight: Randolph Community Wellness Plan (CWP)
In 2018, the Town of Randolph partnered with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to generate a town-wide community health needs assessment. In order to fully engage in a comprehensive planning and data analysis process, the Town of Randolph convened a Steering Committee to guide the needs assessment and resulting Community Wellness Plan. CHNA 20 was invited to participate, and has taken an active role on the Steering Committee since its inception.
Caring for the Community during COVID-19: South Shore YMCA
Throughout the height of the pandemic, the South Shore YMCA became an extension of other community agencies to help stretch capacity and provide resources to those in need. Although their facilities were closed to the public until early July, they were able to utilize the buildings in other ways to help fill critical service gaps.
Happy New Year
From all of us at CHNA 20, wishing you and your family a happy and healthy new year!