Introduction

The Greater Nashua Public Health Network is managed by the Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services which is one of only two local health departments in New Hampshire. This Division has historically worked to protect the public through communicable disease surveillance, prevention and control; defining, eliminating, controlling and managing environmental hazards; enforcing laws and ordinances that protect the public from harmful environmental conditions; and providing community outreach and education. The Division houses an Environmental Health and a Community Health Department, each of which are supported by epidemiology and health promotion experts. The Division also houses Child Care Department, the City of Nashua's Welfare Department and its Mediation Program. Visit the Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services website (click on 'city departments', then 'Public Health and Community Services').

The Division hosts one of New Hampshire's three Medical Reserve Corps units, comprised of locally-based, medical and public health volunteers trained to assist their communities during emergencies, such as an influenza epidemic, a chemical spill, or an act of terrorism. In addition the division is now home to the Disaster Behavioral Health Response Team (DBHRT) for the southern tier of New Hampshire.

In June 2002, the Division constituted the Greater Nashua Regional Public Health Preparedness Advisory Committee, drawing on members of the original Regional Smallpox Advisory Group. The Greater Nashua Public Health Network evolved from this effort. The mission of the Greater Nashua Public Health Network (GNPHN) is to develop and implement a regional public health improvement plan for the Greater Nashua Area. In doing so, the GNPHN aims to (1) build linkages between local, and regional, and state health and public safety departments to enhance public health preparedness and emergency response, and (2) to make recommendations regarding changes to the services and core public health competencies that should be maintained within the Greater Nashua regional health department network.

The GNPHN is co-chaired by the Deputy Director of the Division of Public Health and Community Services and the Fire Chief of the Town of Hudson. The GNPHN is made up of members of each of Greater Nashua's communities as well as of representatives of organizations involved in providing for the health and safety of the region's public.

Service Area

The Greater Nashua region includes the City of Nashua and the towns of Milford, Hollis, Merrimack, Litchfield, Amherst, Brookline, Hudson, Lyndeborough, Mason, Mont Vernon, Wilton, and Pelham. The region is home to approximately 130,500 people.

Partners

Key partners include the staff of the Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services, representatives from each of the municipalities (including first responders, health officers, and selectmen), representatives from the each of the area hospitals, primary care providers including the community health center, and the United Way. Also represented is the Greater Nashua Healthy Community Collaborative which, in addition to the above agencies, includes representatives from such agencies as the Nashua School Department, the Adult Learning Center, the NH Minority Health Coalition, Southern NH Services, Home Health and Hospice, Rivier College, the Community Council of Nashua, Nashua Pastoral Care Center, and Bridges: Domestic & Sexual Violence Support.

Priorities for Action

In 2005, the GNPHN conducted the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) process developed by National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). The MAPP process includes a health assessment and an assessment of the public health infrastructure using the Local Public Health System Performance Assessment Instrument developed by the NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This assessment process resulted in a set of priorities for action which are articulated in Greater Nashua's Public Health Improvement Plan.