Two Strategies to Improve the Health of Our Community

Healthy Community Coalition works to improve the health and well-being of our families, neighbors, and the communities where we live and work. We have two main strategies:

1. Community building. We bring the community together, expanding opportunities for recreation, voluntarism, work, and just getting together to enjoy the company of our neighbors.
2. Promotion of healthy behaviors. We work with our partners to promote healthful lifestyles and educate the public about ways to prevent disease and improve the quality of their lives.

Common sense tells us this work matters, but scientists are helping confirm it. A good body of evidence suggests that our first goal -- strong, bonded communities -- can improve longevity and other health factors. HCC works to build our community by bringing people together and assisting them in making changes in our community. We start by asking what our community needs or wants to improve the lives of people who live or work here. Then we strive with the community to help make that vision real. One tool we use to understand the community's vision is the Community Health Needs Assessment, a process administered every 2-3 years involving people from every corner of Greater Franklin County.

Screenings and Information

Many people know Healthy Community Coalition from our 34-foot Mobile Health Unit. Others know us from the Wellness Fairs we offer throughout the community and by the festivals we take part in throughout the year. All of these outreach efforts offer health screenings and information including:

• Cholesterol & Blood Pressure Screenings
• Bone Density Screenings
• Skin Cancer Analyzation
• InBody720 Body Composition Analyzer
• Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection
• Cancer Prevention Education
• Substance Abuse Prevention
• Tobacco Prevention
• Nutrition Information
• Physical Activity
• And much more

A Long History in Our Community

Our roots extend to the late 1960s, when a group of local physicians formed Rural Health Associates. This group had the then-radical notion that prevention should be as important to health care as traditional services like check-ups and hospitalization. Over the years those physicians and nurses formed partnerships with people in the community and worked to prevent disease and tobacco use, and they began to show real success. Healthy Community Coalition was one of the offspring of the work of these local providers, formed in 1989 and formally incorporated in 1992 with seed funding from the Bingham Program.

Get Involved and Make a Difference

Volunteers, nonprofit organizations and agencies, and businesses regularly come together to look at the issues in our community. Volunteers work on our mobile health unit or our health displays at community events, helping HCC to educate passers-by on the latest information on being as healthy as you can. Getting involved is a great way to make friends and see real results from your efforts. Contact us to explore opportunities.

Contact one of our staff members below for your community care connections.

Executive Director 

• Jennifer McCormack, RN, BSN, MBA, jmccormack@fchn.org or 779-2926

Colorectal Cancer Screening: Personalized help for screening options and scheduling

• Tracy Harty tharty@fchn.org or 779-2830

Breast Cancer Screening: Scheduling, financial assistance and patient education

• Cheryl Moody cmoody2@fchn.org or 779-2214

Medication Access/Prescription Assistance: Assistance in obtaining free and/or reduced cost medications

• Dianna White DLWhite@mainehealth.org or 779-2750

Mobile Health Unit Outreach Events: Health screenings, education, resources and special programs: physical activity, nutrition, tobacco prevention and cessation information, stress reduction, and mush more

• Janis Walker jwalker@fchn.org or 779-2750

Community ParaMedicine: Medication management, wound care, home safety, blood pressure, weight and oxygen checks

• Karen Garland Kidder: kgarlandki@fchn.org or 779-2018

Substance Use Prevention: Provides community resources and education for youth and adults

• Kat Lemieux klemieux@fchn.org or 779-2262    

Substance Use Recovery Resources: Community stigma trainings, Peer Recovery Coach Program, Narcan education and distribution.

• Ashley McCarthy: amccarthy1@fchn.org or 779-2463

Nutrition: Reading labels, grocery shopping tours, cooking classes

• Laura Quynn lquynn@fchn.org or 779-2928

Youth Engagement: Provides community support and advocacy for youth and adult mentors

• Sabrina LoPizzo slopizzo@fchn.org or 779-2260

Obesity and Let’s Go!: Connections for local schools and childcare sites and healthy nutrition. Physical activity opportunities and resources.

• Ellen Thorne: ethorne@fchn.org and (207) 779-2357

Nutrition Education: Classes for children, adults, and families on healthy eating, cooking on a limited budget, meal planning, reading nutrition labels and interactive grocery tours.

• Laura Quynn: lquynn@fchn.org or 779-2928

Tobacco Prevention and Recovery: Assistance with tobacco-free policy development and modification. Support for individuals wishing to quit nicotine use.

• Ellen Thorne: ethorne@fchn.org and 779-2357

Opportunity Community- Community wide poverty education, mentoring opportunities to help address individuals/families living in poverty

• Andrea Richards amrichards@fchn.org or 779-2435

One-on-one assistance is offered for individuals looking to enroll in an insurance plan offered through the Health Insurance Marketplace as part of the Affordable Care Act. During Open Enrollment assistance is provided to individuals who quality.

For more information contact Dianna White at DLWhite@mainehealth.org or 779-2750.

Healthy Community Coalition is a State of Maine car seat distribution site. Families who qualify can make an appointment for an application and the installment process. Free car seat checks are also available for families who already have a seat but have questions about installation or sizing.

For more information contact Andrea Richards at amrichards@fchn.org or 779-2435.

HCC is a State of Maine car seat distribution site. Families who qualify can make an appointment for application and installment process. Free car seat checks are also available for families who already have a seat but have questions about installation or sizing. For more information contact Andrea Richards, BS, CHES at amrichards@fchn.org or 779-2435.