|
About Us
What is the Partnership?
What is the mission of the NENCPPH?
What are the goals of the NENCPPH?
Why was the NENCPPH formed?
Activities of the Partnership
What is the Partnership?
The Northeastern North Carolina Partnership for Public Health (NENCPPH) was formed in 1999 to improve the health of people in the Northeastern region of
North Carolina and to maximize the available resources and service potential of local health departments through cooperation with each other on public health issues. The Partnership is guided by a governing board composed of 10 local health department directors, whose health departments serve 18 counties in Northeastern North Carolina; and of representatives from the North Carolina Division of Public Health and the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the
University of
North Carolina. The NENCPPH region includes the following counties: Beaufort, Bertie,
Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Edgecombe, Gates,
Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin,
Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell,
Warren, and
Washington.
In 2002, the NENCPPH received a federal grant that funded a demonstration project to explore a regional approach to the delivery of core public health functions. These funds supported a regional epidemiologist, regional health educator/health disparities coordinator and half-time director through April 2006. The membership continues to support these core staff positions through annual dues and per capita assessments. The NENCPPH is receiving funds from the Health and Wellness Trust Fund for a Regional Teen Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program in the high schools, a College Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program in the region’s community colleges and
Chowan
University and an Obesity/Diabetes Prevention and Control Program in African American churches. The NC Prevention Program and HIV Disease Medical Van. The NC Office of Minority Health provides funds for HIV Disease Prevention planning and prostate cancer awareness campaign. The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust Funds is providing augmentation funds for the medical van. The NC General Assembly awarded funds to the Partnership in 2004 and 2005 to improve the public health infrastructure in the region and to conduct health information campaigns to prevent Obesity and Diabetes.
The NENCPPH’s governing board oversees all activities. Two health departments and the Institute provide the fiduciary management of the Partnership’s funds and eight health departments provide space and other resources for regional staff. In addition to the core staff, NENCPPH staff consists of the program coordinators for the regional Teen Tobacco, Heart Disease/Stroke and Obesity/Diabetes Prevention Programs, six field health educators assisting with prevention activities and an HIV Outreach Coordinator. The CDC has appointed a Public Health Prevention Specialist to assis with the planning and development of the regional mobile HIV/AIDS specialty clinic.
What is the mission of the NENCPPH?
The mission is to utilize flexible regional partnerships to provide local public health core functions and essential services to assure healthier communities.
What are the goals of the NENCPPH?
- To procure specialized funding for innovative projects and to advocate for consistent, recurring and ongoing funding for core public health functions.
- To strengthen epidemiological capacity and develop active chronic disease surveillance and monitoring systems.
- To conduct health assessments that involve community input and participation.
- To develop coordinated regional capacity to impact selected health indicators.
- To ensure public awareness of core health functions and of regional community health issues.
- To institutionalize the capacity to reduce health disparities in our region.
- To coordinate regional retraining of the public health workforce.
- To develope a regionally coordinated system for mobilizing community partnerships and developing community coalition infrastructure.
Why was the NENCPPH formed?
Since 1999, the members of the governing board have been exploring a regional approach to providing core public health functions which are:
- Assessing community health needs and health issues
- Addressing those needs and issues by developing policies and programs
- Assuring availability and accessibility of health services to the entire population
In recent years, the health departments in this region, like many others in rural areas, have had to invest more time, money and effort in providing direct health services (core function 3), and, as a result, have been unable to adequately address the other primary functions (core functions 1 and 2). The region’s health departments are especially challenged because 13 of the 19 counties are designated as “Tier One” counties, meaning they are among the most economically depressed in
North Carolina. In addition, compared to the rest of the state, mortality rates from many illnesses are elevated. The NENCPPH is working toward legislative change that will provide funding to local health departments for the delivery of core public health functions. Unlike some other states, local health departments in
North Carolina do not receive funding to carry out this important local health department role.
Activities of the Partnership:
- Conducted and published a regional health assessment and focused studies of diabetes, HIV/AIDS and heart disease/stroke in the region. All include statistical health data and community opinions and concerns. Reports are distributed to residents, health and social service agencies, legislators, the state public health division and community organizations in the region.
- Conducting a health information campaign to reduce obesity and diabetes in the region.
- Developing approaches to address socioeconomic, geographic and racial health disparities in the region.
- Networking with Healthy Carolinians task forces and other community coalitions and organizations to share ideas, identify community problems and resources and address public health problems.
- Implementing a regional approach to youth tobacco use prevention and cessation.
- Educating the North Carolina General Assembly about the need to provide funding to health departments for the delivery of core public health functions.
- Providing regional training sessions to local public health professionals based on a training needs assessment.
- Working with the North Carolina Office of Minority Health to address health disparities in the region.
- Seeking funding to implement regional programs to address regional health concerns.
- Conducting infrastructure assessments in each of the 11 health departments to determine if there are common needs and implementing findings.
|
