Health
Healthy Community Planning
The purpose of Fostering Healthier Communities is to facilitate and encourage municipalities to plan for and create vibrant, active places through their built environments that encourage healthy lifestyles.
How a community is designed has a direct effect on the health of its citizens. Land development patterns, zoning ordinances, and land use classifications impact walkability, access to services, and transportation options. Including a specific chapter in your Town Plan explicitly focused on public health ensures that a greater emphasis is placed on health throughout other plan elements.
If your town is interested in resources for developing a Health Chapter for your Town Plan, or a Health and Wellness Committee, please email Kimberly Gilbert or call 802-457-3188 extention #112.
Planning Resources
Community Health Needs Assessments
- Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center Assessment (2018)
- DHMC and Alice Peck Day Assessment (2019)
- Valley Regional Healthcare Assessment (2019)
- Hospital Community Health Improvement Plans
- General: https://communityhealthhub.org/chna/
Local Health District Office
- White River Junction
- Resources for WIC services, Maternal and Child Health, Healthy Community Design, Worksite Wellness, School Health, Immunizations, Infectious Diseases, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Tobacco Prevention, Emergency Preparedness, Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention, Local Reports and Data
Statewide/Local Health Partners
- Rise VT
- works with municipalities, employers, schools, etc. to provide opportunities to “make the healthy choice the easy choice”
- Scorecards available to measure/track progress
- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Partners for Community Wellness
- Community Ambassador Program:
- Ambassadors 1)listen to the community 2)inform DHMC on community health issues 3)engage and promote health and wellness through initiatives
- Interested candidates can submit an application to become an ambassador for their towns
- Community Ambassador Program:
- VT Department of Health
- Public Health Data Explorer– View public health information, trends, and indicators on both local/state level
- 3-4-50 Campaign– 3 Behaviors lead to 4 Diseases and result in more than 50% of Deaths in Vermont.
- Mt. Ascutney Prevention Program
- a substance abuse prevention and health promotion coalition
- Ottauquechee Health Foundation
- non-profit foundation that provides grants to individuals and programs to improve health and wellness in specific Vermont communities
Education, Health & Human Services
- Vermont Insights– data on VT’s children, families, and communities
- School Reports– information from the education system and schools
- Agency of Human Resources Maps– maps that include a VT social vulnerability index (SVI), a heat vulnerability index, and a VT travel clinic finder
Food Security
- Food Research and Action Center– toolkit for addressing food security
- Children’s Health Watch: Hunger Vital Sign
- Households are identified as being at risk for food insecurity if they answer that either or both of the following two statements is ‘often true’ or ‘sometimes true’ (vs. ‘never true’):
“ Within the past 12 months we worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more.”“ Within the past 12 months the food we bought just didn’t last and we didn’t have money to get more.”
- Households are identified as being at risk for food insecurity if they answer that either or both of the following two statements is ‘often true’ or ‘sometimes true’ (vs. ‘never true’):
- Hunger Council of the Upper Valley– discussing ways to end hunger in the Upper Valley
- Vermont Farm-to-Plate
Planning Toolkits
- TRORC/MAPP Town Health Chapter Template
- Plan4Health– APA’s project that provides planning toolkits for
- Healthy Community Design– VT Dep. of Health design guides for
- Active Living and Healthy Eating
- pg. 45 includes sample language for Town Plans
- Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, Tobacco, Alcohol & Drug Abuse Prevention
- Active Living and Healthy Eating
- Lamoille County Planning Commission Health Planning Template
- TRORC Regional Plan: Fostering Healthy Communities Chapter
Health Services
Health Resource Manual– compiled by Mt. Ascutney Hospital
Hospitals
- Gifford Medical Center– Randolph VT
- Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center– Windsor VT
- Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center– Lebanon NH
- Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital– Lebanon NH
- Cottage Hospital– Haverhill NH
Health Centers
- Bethel
- Chelsea
- Kingwood (Randolph)
- Rochester
- Sharon
- Twin River (White River Junction)
- Ottauquechee (Woodstock)
Food Security Resources
- Upper Valley Haven– Along with shelter, UVH has a bread shelf open 24/7 to the community, a food shelf open Monday-Friday, and a cafe
- Veggie Van Go– Vegetables are delivered at Mt. Ascutney Hospital twice a month (2nd Tuesday) and distributed to the community