By MATT LINDSEY

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s annual health rankings list St. Lawrence County 51st out of 62 New York counties for health outcomes.

In an attempt to improve health and wellness among county residents, the Bridge to Wellness Coalition was created as a way for health-related organizations to work together to tackle chronic diseases, obesity, smoking and mental health. Members work on developing statistics about the health of St. Lawrence County residents, ways for community members to get involved, and a forum to share ideas and resources for health improvement.

The St. Lawrence County Health & Wellness Calendar, a hub of health-related events going on in St. Lawrence County, was created. The website has health, wellness and fitness events in the county.

“The overall rankings in health outcomes represent how healthy counties are within the state, with the healthiest county in the state ranked number one,” said Michele Catlin, Community Outreach coordinator at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, one of more than a dozen health-related organizations that are part of Bridge to Wellness.

“The ranks are based on two types of measures: how long people live and how healthy people feel while alive.”

The county also ranked 58 out of 62 for health behaviors. The overall rankings in health factors represent what influences the health of the people in a county. Health behaviors include smoking, obesity, physical activity, excessive drinking, sexually transmitted infections, teen births and alcohol-impaired driving deaths.

New York State, as part of the State Prevention Agenda, requires hospitals and public health departments collaborate to develop and enact Community Health Improvement Plans, said Ruth Fishbeck, executive director of Hospice and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley, who was actively involved in creating Bridge to Wellness.

How It Started?

The Health Initiative completed Community Health Needs Assessments every five years since 1998 and decided to join forces with the county’s five hospitals and the Public Health Department in 2012 to design and complete the 2013 assessment and develop the first coordinated Community Health Improvement Plan.

“Early on the group realized that more organizations would need to be involved to significantly improve health and wellness among county residents so they decided to expand the group and adopt the name ‘Bridge to Wellness,’” Fishbeck said.

They chose the name because the partners working together provide opportunities and remove barriers in the community to make the path to health and wellness possible for all residents, much like the support structure of a bridge make it possible to cross barriers to travel and open new opportunities, Fishbeck said.

“The group specifically chose wellness instead of health because wellness is more than not being sick, or just physical health,” Fishbeck said. “Wellness refers to the overall balance of the body, mind and spirit, an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence.”

Aim Of Organization

This year the coalition must identify two prevention agenda priorities and one health disparity in the community based on recent relevant data, said Anne M. Snell, executive director of Health Initiative another Bridge to Wellness member.

“We then must develop and submit an implementation plan that describes the evidence based interventions being implemented and the process measures being used to track progress toward the priorities; and demonstrate evidence of collaboration among the Local Health Departments, hospitals and community organizations in selecting new or confirming existing priorities and addressing them,” she said.

The coalition has partnered with North Country Health Compass, a similar coalition that serves St. Lawrence, Lewis, and Jefferson counties, to complete a Community Health Assessment. Results will be presented at the organizations August meeting and will be used to guide the next Community Health Improvement Plan, which is due to New York State by Dec. 31.

The coalition will draw upon the assessment, and current resources in the community to develop a comprehensive plan to improve the health of St. Lawrence County residents.

“With an understanding that evidenced based interventions are the most appropriate for creating lasting health improvement, the public will likely see more opportunity to participate in prevention and self-management programs; and policy and systems changes that have a direct impact on the health of the public,” Snell said.

What Is Being Done?

While the most recent results have yet to be presented, the last plan focused on preventing chronic disease, reducing obesity, and reducing illness, disability and death related to tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.

Other county health concerns focused on increasing access to high quality chronic disease preventative care and management in both clinical and community settings promote mental health and prevent substance abuse and to promote mental, emotional and behavioral (MEB) well-being in communities.

The Health and Wellness Calendar will guide individuals looking for health and wellness opportunities throughout the county.

The calendar can be found at http://northcountrynow.com/health-calendar. There are support groups, prevention programs, training and other health related meetings and activities from around the North Country.

“North Country Now is the perfect way to expand our current reach because it is already a well-known and trusted community resource,” Snell said.

“Too often it is assumed that the local health care provider or facility is taking care of the health of our community, when in fact, our health involves far more than that,” Catlin said. “It involves where we live, our safety, what our education level is, where we work, our income, how we get around, where we shop, our social and spiritual connections, and much more. That is why it is imperative that all sectors of a community collaboratively work together to build a healthier future for its residents.”

A full plan will be developed this fall for submission, and the coalition will look to address the prevention agenda and health disparities identified in the assessment in several ways.

First, by identifying the resources available in our community (are there ways the coalition can expand the reach of these services?), identifying the gaps in services or support in the community (is there funding available for one of their members, or the coalition at large, to tackle this disparity?).

After these questions are answered, the coalition will develop goals, objectives, interventions, strategies, activities, process measures, and which member organizations will be providing the service. And they will identify what resources will be needed, and from whom, to achieve the goal.

Who Is Involved?

Current active or supporting members include St. Lawrence County Public Health, Health Initiative, Claxton Hepburn Medical Center, St. Lawrence Health Systems, which includes Canton-Potsdam and Gouveneur Hospitals, Massena Memorial Hospital, Clifton Fine Hospital, Hospice and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley, St. Lawrence County Office for the Aging, Community Health Center of the North Country, SUNY Potsdam Community Health Department, Alliance for the Mentally Ill of St. Lawrence Valley, Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence Valley, Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization, Central NY Regional Center of Tobacco, Health Seaway Valley Prevention Council and St. Lawrence Gas.

The Health Initiative co-facilitates meetings with Public Health officials. This year, the coalition has met monthly, with the exception of July, and plans are to continue monthly meetings in 2017.

“The coalition would welcome any organization in the region with an interest in improving the health of the community to join, and would be especially interested in seeing dental practices, school representatives, mental health representatives and faith based organizations respond,” Snell said.

Any interested organizations can contact Snell at 261-4760 ext. 222 or anne@gethealthyslc.org.

The Bridge to Wellness Coalition does not receive direct funding. However, media and staff time to facilitate meetings is supported in part through a New York State Department of Health, Charles D. Cook Office of Rural Health grant awarded to the Health Initiative.

“In addition, as gaps in service are identified through the Community Health Improvement Plan, organizations who are members often devote resources to meet the need,” Snell said.