The Massachusetts Department of Public Health held one of four Listening Sessions across the Commonwealth to receive input on the development of statewide “Health Priorities” and “Community Engagement” standards pursuant to the proposed Determination of Need (DoN) regulations. A session held on October 20, 2016 at BI Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth, MA, was designed to address 1) which of the social determinants of health (such as Housing, Social and Built Environment and Violence/ Trauma) best align with current state and local health priorities and initiatives, 2) what types of strategies have the most potential for directly impacting these social determinants of health, 3) what elements of a community engagement process must be included in order to facilitate an authentic community-based process, 4) who needs to be represented in order to ensure the social determinants of health in a community are understood and opportunities for impacting them are identified, and 5) what metrics could be used to judge an authentic community engagement process. Click here for a 51-minute video of the introductory presentation. Click here for a one-hour video of the discussion that followed. Click here for the 12-minute portion of the discussion that included Partners' Executive Director's comments. For more information about the process, contact Ben Wood at 413-586-7525. 

(Top row) Halley Reeves of the Department of Public Health (DPH) talks with Plymouth Public School Superintendent Gary Maestas and with Brenda Johnson of Nantucket Hospital before Ben Wood of DPH begins the session. (Middle row) Southcoast Health Community Benefits Manager Kerry Mello and Partners Executive Director Dr. David Weed make comments during the Listening Session held at BI Deaconess Hospital. (Bottom row) Session participants talk with Hospital CEO Peter Holden and Ben Wood following the session.