Introduction

The Capital Area Public Health Network (CAPHN) is a community health and safety collaborative established in 2004 to identify and solve community health problems and improve local public health emergency preparedness. The CAPHN is based at Concord Hospital and is comprised of coalition community members, as well as organizations, involved in providing for the public's health and safety.

Service Area

The CAPHN's service area includes the City of Concord and the towns of Allenstown, Barnstead, Boscawen, Bow, Bradford, Canterbury, Chichester, Deering, Dunbarton, Epsom, Henniker, Hillsborough, Hopkinton, Loudon, Northwood, Pembroke, Pittsfield, Warner, Washington, Webster, Weare and Windsor. The CAPHN serves the approximately 150,000 people living in these communities.

Partners

Key partners include representatives from each of the municipalities (including Selectmen, Town Managers/Administrators, Emergency Management Directors, Health Officers, Fire and Police Personnel, School Nurses, and Human Service Directors).

• American Red Cross - Concord Chapter
• Capital Region Family Health Center
• Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack Counties, Inc.
• Community Health Institute
• Community Provider Network of Central NH
• Community Services Council of NH
• Concord Hospital
• Concord Regional Visiting Nurses Association
• Dartmouth Hitchcock - Concord
• NH Bureau of Emergency Management
• NH Department of Public Health
• NH Hospital
• Riverbend Community Mental Health
• United Way of Merrimack County

Priorities for Action

The CAPHN conducted its first local public health infrastructure assessment in the Spring of 2005, using the framework laid out by the Local Public Health System Performance Assessment Instrument developed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The results of the assessment were used to develop a Public Health Improvement Plan (pdf, 6kb) outlining the CAPHN's future goals and activities.