OFFICERS

Chairperson
Wendy Garf-Lipp

Vice Chairperson
Jamison Souza

Secretary
Alvin McMahon

Treasurer
Marcia Picard

WORK GROUP
 CHAIRS 

Access to Healthcare
Paula Harrison

Healthy City Design Team
David Weed

Substance Abuse
Michael Aguiar
Marilyn Edge

Youth CHOICES
Jamison Souza
Christian McCloskey

STAFF

SCI Americorp
Eitan Levine

Community Garden Coordinator
Nicole Fortier

Fitness Challenge/
Market Coordinator
Annemarie Sharkey

Massachusetts Promise Fellow
Ellen Gillander

School Wellness Coordinator
Marcia Picard

Healthy City Initiative Coordinator
David Weed

Staff Payroll Administrator
Patricia Fanning

Worksite Wellness Coordinator
Angela Bannister

STEERING COMMITTEE

Pastor John Amaral
Outreach to Religious Community
PatBebo
UMass Ext. Nutrition Education Program
Sherri Daye
South Bay Mental Health
Roger Dextradeur
Habit OPCO
Marilyn Edge
SoCo Tobacco Cessation & Prevention
Patricia Fanning
FR Family Service Assn.
Wendy Garf-Lipp
United Neighbors
Paula Harrison
HealthFirst Family Care
Robert Hitt
Stanley St. Treatment 
Robin Jones
Early Intervention/
People Inc.
Alvin McMahon
Greater FR Medical Reserve Corps
Susan Oldrid
St. Anne's Hospital
Marcia Picard
School Wellness
Donna Querim
Southcoast Hospitals
Gladys Rosofsky
St. Anne's Parish Nurses
Lynda Sampson
CFC Family Planning.
Karen Scott-Statser
Bristol Elder Services
Jamison Souza
Community Development Re-creation
Brenda Viveiros
BMC Health Net
David Weed
Healthy City Fall River

MA DEPT. OF PUBLIC HEALTH LIAISONS
Michael Coughlin
Joan Gancarski
Ron O'Connor

SE CENTER FOR HEALTHY COMMUNITIES LIAISONS
Sarah Parmenter
Stephanie Patton

Partners for a Healthier Community
72 Bank Street, P.O. Box 1228
Fall River, MA 02720
 

Partners for a Healthier Community is Number 25 of the 27 CHNAs organized by the Department of Public Health (DPH) across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The goal of Partners is to establish a working partnership between DPH and area residents to improve health status in the four communities of Fall River, Somerset, Swansea and Westport.

Since its inception Partners has been a catalyst in bringing new healthcare and related resources to the Greater Fall River area. The Well Women Project and the Medi-Call Programs were awarded to Fall River with the support of Partners. In 1998, Partners was awarded a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to establish a "Master Community Action Plan" (MCAP) for the community. Through the MCAP process, Partners has engaged the community in a strategic planning process to improve coordination of health services.

Partners for a Healthier Community has repeatedly and successfully mobilized community resources to address identified community health needs. It is our vision to expand resources and services to better meet the needs of all residents in the Greater Fall River area and ultimately build a healthier community. The most recent example of that effort is embodied in the Healthy City Fall River initiative, a nationally-recognized model of community health promotion.

Our Vision

Building healthy communities is a shared responsibility. Partners for a Healthier Community has mounted a combined effort involving all sectors of our communities - - community residents, health professionals, government, business leaders, clergy, and schools - - to improve the health and quality of life for all residents of Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, and Westport. Our effort mirrors similar projects in communities across the nation and around the world - people coming together to work cooperatively to solve problems and improve the health and quality of life for the entire community. A healthy community is one that is continually creating and improving itself to ensure a healthy environment for all residents.

Partners has adopted the World Health Organization's description of a healthy community:

• high levels of community participation in all aspects of community life;
• health care services which focus on prevention and staying healthy;
• a non-violent and safe community environment;
• plenty of affordable housing;
• employment and educational opportunities for all;
• accessible recreation opportunities;
• safe and healthy workplaces;
• accessible transportation systems; 
• healthy and safe environment.

Structure

Partners is a not-for-profit corporation in Massachusetts (Partnership for a Healthier Community, Inc.*) governed by a 15-25 member Steering Committee elected bi-annually by the general membership at its annual meeting held in Fall of each year (see By-Laws). Officers of the Steering Committee are elected annually by members of the Steering Committee. Other standing committees of Partners include a Nominating, Membership and By-Laws Committee. Ad hoc committees are appointed as needed. 

The work of Partners is performed in task forces or Work Groups designated by the Steering Committee to focus on one area of concern identified through a periodic needs assessment process. Membership on the Work Groups is open to any person who has an interest in working on these task forces. 

Funding

Partners for a Healthier Community, Inc. receives funds for Innovative Community Activities from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and linkage funds from Magnetic Resonance Imaging agencies: Shields Healthcare, Southeastern Massachusetts MRI, Saint Anne's Hospital, and Southcoast Hospitals Group.

Partners also works collaboratively with its members to develop grants that will bring in funds to support prevention and health initiatives in the Greater Fall River Area. The Children In Balance Project, the Healthy Lives Program, and the Mass In Motion Project are three examples of our achievements in bringing in more than $750,000 to the community since 2007.

In 2003, Partners was funded by the Harvard-Pilgrim Healthcare Foundation for the first year of operations for the Healthy City Fall River initiative. This project is a collaborative effort with the Mayor's Office of the City of Fall River to improve the overall health and quality of life of those who live and work in the City using the Healthy Cities model adopted by the World Health Organization.

*EIN 04-3409125.