Media Release
March 3, 2016 9:16 a.m.
The Partnership for a Healthier Nassau (PHN) presented the 2016-2018 Nassau Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) on Wednesday, February 24th, 2016. The large community meeting was attended by 55 community members and included a lively presentation and discussion. John Drew facilitated the meeting which started with an overview provided by Mary von Mohr, CHIP Facilitator with the Florida Department of Health Nassau. Health statistics were shared which included information of the leading causes of death in our county – cancer and heart disease. A summary of past CHIP 2012-2015 accomplishments was provided by Dr. Eugenia Ngo-Seidel, FDOH Nassau County. Presentations were provided by key community leaders on the newly identified health strategic issues. Presenters included: John Bowles, Barnabas Center, Mary Snyder, Baptist Medical Center Nassau, Dr. Catherine Hardee-Drew, Florida Psychological and Associated Healthcare, and Michael Hays, NassauTRANSIT. Kim Clemons, Nassau County School District, provided an overview of culturally competent care to provide guidance on health initiatives.
The 2016-2018 CHIP identified three strategic areas:
1. Access to Care: will focus on our minority and underserved populations. It includes needs on the East and West-side of our county. This work will include the creation of a community health team for West Nassau, the creation of a countywide Interfaith Health Ministry to provide health education and screenings through churches, the creation of an Annual health fair provided on the Westside sponsored by Barnabas and the exploration of telemedicine to provide expanded health services to our rural communities.
2. Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse: an area that encompasses a large and often overlooked population. This work will include increasing community awareness of programs and services through the use of PSA’s, will include extensive training to community members on mental health first aid, and the creation of an ongoing Nassau Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Collaborative that will assess, monitor and guide services to support the improvement of mental health in our community.
3. Transportation: will focus on further expanding community awareness of NassauTRANSIT services and work to increase usage of this public transit service. This area was included as part of Access to Care in the 2012-2105 CHIP. Since inadequate transportation affects all areas of our lives in Nassau County, it was determined to be a primary area of focus during the new CHIP cycle.
Being involved in CHIP is a great way to become involved in your community and make a difference in improving the health of Nassau County. Many community partners get involved to share their talents and knowledge. Local community support and assistance is needed to fully implement goals and action steps. If you want to promote community health we welcome your assistance. Please call Mary von Mohr at 904-530-6761 to learn more about how this plan connects to you and our Nassau County community.