Systems Change Through Structural Leverage

Operates a coalition of nearly 30 member organizations across nine counties to coordinate and deliver health and wellness support programs in northern New York.

Offers performance improvement planning, customized training, and support for healthcare staff and tobacco treatment champions to improve the quality and delivery of tobacco cessation services.

Empowers schools and communities to enhance physical activity through initiatives like Walk & Roll to School Day, pedestrian infrastructure improvements, and bike helmet distribution programs, particularly in Franklin County.

Advocates for and facilitates updates and implementation of school wellness policies related to nutrition and physical activity, and supports municipal-level policies and projects that promote active transportation and safe physical activity environments.

Awards grants totaling nearly $20,000 to support local health promotion initiatives across the North Country region.

Designs, develops, and implements evidence-based strategies to reduce the incidence of cardiac disease, stroke, and related chronic illnesses across a seven-county region in northern New York State, focusing on tobacco use, nutrition, and physical activity.

Coordinates and delivers free lifestyle change and health self-management programs targeting chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, arthritis, and chronic pain through the Get Healthy North Country Network.

Implements the CHSC program across seven communities in northern New York to increase access to healthy food and physical activity opportunities, including policy and environmental changes in schools, childcare settings, and communities.

Launched the Eat Well Play Hard North Country Coalition and works with childcare providers and communities to implement sustainable policy and environmental changes that promote nutrition and physical activity among young children.

Offers mobile, one-on-one, evidence-based tobacco cessation services to individuals, distributes cessation resources, and connects smokers with the NYS Quitline while delivering direct support to tobacco users across multiple counties.

Provides resources, consultation, policy review, and implementation assistance to healthcare providers and systems to integrate and sustain evidence-based tobacco dependence treatment services into clinical workflows.

Partners with community food pantries, such as the Tupper Lake Community Food Pantry, to improve access to healthy food through operational assessments, policy implementation, infrastructure improvements, and ongoing collaboration to expand nutritious offerings.

Implements trauma-informed community initiatives through structured programming and convenes the Trauma-Informed Communities committee every other month to promote awareness and systemic change in Livingston County.

Operates an integrated rural health network with participation from approximately forty multi-sector organizations, hosting quarterly general membership meetings (in person and via Zoom), annual membership meetings with Board elections each November, and monthly community meetings in Lima Town Hall to advance collective health goals in Livingston County.

Provides suicide prevention education and support through initiatives such as Lock and Talk Livingston, Safe Talk, and the Out of the Darkness Walk; offers presentations, outreach materials, and access to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Convenes the Suicide Prevention Task Force monthly and operates Step by Step, a monthly peer support group for those affected by suicide or sudden loss.

Implements the Be Well in Livingston program across communities such as Nunda and Mount Morris, promoting improved nutrition, physical activity, and stress reduction through community-wide engagement and healthier practices in worksites. Includes hosting quarterly committee meetings and providing access to a calendar of health events.

Conducts and publishes annual reports in 2023, 2024, and 2025 to document progress, outcomes, and activities related to community health initiatives in Livingston County.

Works to improve health and well-being in Sullivan County by facilitating policy change, strengthening systems, and supporting new programs that advance health equity and outcomes. Engages in countywide collaborations to drive structural improvements in public health.