About CHNA 15
CHNA 15 is one of 27 Community Health Network Areas (CHNAs) in Massachusetts created by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in 1992. CHNA 15 has been active in the following communities it serves since that time: Acton, Bedford, Boxborough, Burlington, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Wilmington, Winchester, and Woburn.
The CHNAs are an initiative to improve health through local collaborations. CHNA 15 is a partnership between many partners including the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Regional Center for Healthy Communities, residents, hospitals, local service agencies, schools, businesses, boards of health, and other concerned citizens who are working together to:
➢ Identify the health needs of member communities,
➢ Find ways to address those needs; and
➢ Improve the health of the community.
As part of this statewide effort to develop, implement, and integrate community projects that effectively utilize community resources to create healthier communities, CHNA 15 has the following Mission Statement:
We pledge ourselves to working together to build healthier communities through community-based prevention planning and health promotion.
To enhance its purpose CHNA 15 established a vision statement as follows:
We declare that each and every community will be a safe and supportive environment
that empowers community residents to develop self-esteem and personal responsibility
to make positive and healthy life choices.
As a CHNA member, you can
• network and share ideas with people with similar interest in building healthier communities;
• gain knowledge about a range of health related issues and topics;
• participate in designing and implementing health improvement projects;
• advocate for health issues that are important to your community;
• work with others to enrich your community
• benefit from professional development scholarships for you and/or your agency,
• apply for grants for projects for community health improvement, and
• attend a variety of trainings designed to enhance and strengthen your community work.
CHNA 15 has had multiple focus areas during the past sixteen years including domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health issues, obesity, and the youth in our communities. Annually CHNA 15 offers MiniGrants to local organizations as well as individual and agency professional development scholarships. In addition, Healthy Communities Planning and Implementation Grants are awarded every other year.
Recent CHNA 15 grants awarded include:
• $3,000 in Resource Grants,
• $20,000 in Healthy Communities Planning Grants,
• $37,500 in Implementation Grants,
• $68,490 in MiniGrants to area agencies,
• $2,600 in scholarships to the year-long MassForum training, and
• $1400 in individual and agency Professional Development scholarships.
Bi-monthly meetings and membership are open to anyone who is interested in working with others to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents and their communities.
To be eligible to apply for CHNA 15 scholarships individuals or an agency representative must be a member of CHNA 15.
To be eligible for grants organizations/entities must serve one or more of the 12 communities in CHNA 15 (listed above). Collaborations must be demonstrated and a lead agency identified. To be eligible the Lead Agency must be a CHNA 15 Voting Member.
As designated in CHNA 15 Operating Principles a Voting Member (the applicant, or another representative from the applicant’s agency, or a representative from an agency collaborating on the proposal) must have attended at least two CHNA 15 meetings within the past year.
These and other activities are made possible by funds provided by Lahey Clinic through the Department of Public Health’s five-year Determination of Need (DoN) process, Lahey Clinic PET DoN grants and a Winchester Hospital PET DoN grant.
For additional information on how to become involved
in the Northwest Suburban Health Alliance (CHNA 15), to access resources, for information on a professional development scholarship or grants, or any other aspect of the work or opportunities offered by CHNA 15,
you may contact Janice Hanson, CHNA 15 Coordinator, at JHanson800@aol.com.
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