Over 2008-2009, an Advisory Task Force worked together to revise the Community Benefits Guidelines for Non-Profit Acute Care Hospitals. A training on the revised Guidelines, issued in February 2009, was held on June 29,2009 at the Hogan-Pinkus Conference Center of U-Mass Medical School campus in Shrewsbury. Kerry Mello, community relations and marketing coordinator for the Southcoast Hospital Group, and David Weed, Healthy City Fall River coordinator, presented a portion of the training to over 75 hospital representatives. Following presentations on needs assessment and data analysis, Ms. Mello talked about how Southcoast used data and community collaboration to address health disparities. Dr. Weed then described the original visioning process that led to the designation of Action Plan Priorities. The day-long session ended with presentations on goal-setting and evaluation. For further information about the presentations, contact Kerry Mello at 508-961-5273 or Dave Weed at 508-324-2411. (Photos by Jim Rattray, Southcoast Hospitals)

(Top row, left) Health policy analyst for the Office of the Attorney General Kim Henry introduced the discussion of turning needs assessments into action plans. (Top row, right) Assistant Attorney General Lois Johnson clarified some of the objectives of the new Guidelines for the participants. (Middle row, left) Dr. David Weed describes some of the processes that led to the Health City Action Plan as Julie Lizotte of Morton Hospital,  Southcoast Hospital Cardiac Prevention coordinator and Kerry Mello listen. (Bottom row, center) Ms. Mello describes the methodology that was used to identify high risk groups among racial populations in the Southcoast service area.