About Us
The Mascoma Valley Health Initiative
Mission
Our mission is to protect and promote the health of our community.
Vision
“All people in the Upper Valley working together to enjoy the best health possible.”
MVHI was formed in 2001 by the Turning Point Initiative, an ambitious program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson and W.K. Kellogg Foundations to transform the nation’s public health system. We began with the mission of improving the health of the residents of five Mascoma Valley towns, and have grown to serve the Upper Valley Public Health Region of New Hampshire, which includes 13 municipalities: Canaan, Cornish, Dorchester, Enfield, Grafton, Grantham, Hanover, Lebanon, Lyme, Orange, Orford, Piermont, and Plainfield.
MVHI supports programming in the areas of core public health service and substance abuse prevention.
MVHI is currently implementing two substance abuse prevention programs in the Mascoma Valley towns of Canaan, Enfield, Dorchester, Grafton, and Orange. This includes the Indian River Youth 2 Youth after-school program. As well, MVHI serves as the coordinating agency for the Mascoma Valley Prevention Network, a community-based substance abuse prevention coalition focused on increasing parent involvement in reducing youth substance use and community commitment to reducing youth access to alcohol.
MVHI is currently in the final stage of implementing the Upper Valley Healthy Community Project, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Network Planning Program. This project has resulted in a comprehensive community-based health needs assessment, and an agreement between MVHI and several Upper Valley organizations to strengthen collaborative assessment, prioritization, and mutual action to improve population health in the Upper Valley.
MVHI served as the New Hampshire Immunization Program regional coordinating site from 2009 to 2011. Through this initiative, we built partnerships with many community stakeholders and developed innovative approaches to promoting immunization of children and adults, and provided planning and operational support for school-based and public vaccination clinics.
Previously, MVHI served as the Upper Valley All Health Hazards Region lead planning organization from 2006 to 2009, and hosted the Tobacco Prevention and Control Coalition, the Frameworks Suicide Prevention project, and chronic disease prevention programs. MVHI has been, and continues to be, involved in ground-breaking work to develop initiatives that translate health care quality improvement strategies to public health practice.
MVHI is operated by a Board of Directors that represents a number of prominent local and regional organizations including hospitals, local businesses, municipal government, law enforcement, and emergency services.
Our goal is to partner with community members and organizations that share our commitment to community health, to build a strong and effective public health system that serves the needs of the residents of the Upper Valley.
Contact:
1192 US Route 4
PO Box 102
Canaan, NH 03741
(603) 523-7100