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Healthy Northern Kennebec: Hot Topics 
We were delighted to welcome over 40 community members to our Healthy Waterville celebration at the end of May. Mayor Nick Isgro, City Councilor Rosemary Winslow, Representative Tom Longstaff, and many Healthy Northern Kennebec coalition partners joined clients from the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter, recipients of General Assistance and KVCAP services, and participants in our 2014 focus groups for dinner and discussion of Waterville's top community health priorities. Kerri Sands, facilitator from Good Group Decisions, shared what we learned over the past year from listening to people who live in poverty. Thanks to support from the Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF), this transformative initiative will continue through 2016.
Waterville residents said that they want to work together to reduce hunger and make affordable, healthy food available for everyone. In June, the Elmina B. Sewell Foundation contributed $50,000 to Healthy Northern Kennebec's effort to create "Healthy People Healthy Places." For the next year, we will engage more people with lived experience as partners in assessing and improving our community's food system.
Last month, a team of five from Waterville attended the Community Healthy Improvement Leadership Academy (CHILA) for Spreading Community Accelerators through Learning and Evaluation (SCALE). We connected with other Pacesetter communities, mentors and coaches from across the country in an unprecedented collaboration to create 100 Million Healthier Lives by 2020. SCALE will assist our coalition in collecting data, testing rapid cycle improvements and evaluating our Healthy Waterville initiative.
Check out this 3-minute video of our experience:
https://animoto.com/play/y1jRg1XpHP6mm1544Y714g
In July, we began our first effort to increase public awareness of local food resources and empathy for the people who use them. Twenty people are visiting the Waterville Food Bank and reporting back with qualitative data about their experiences. In August, more individuals will visit more community food sites. Thank you all for speaking with your local legislators about the value of our statewide Healthy Maine Partnerships, funded by the Tobacco Settlement. After much drama, the state budget passed with our programs intact. Special thanks to Alice Schlosser, who will be moving on to a new job in Augusta this week. I have truly appreciated Alice's dedication to keeping our organization organized. We will miss her warm, welcoming presence at our coalition meetings. Please join me in wishing her the best! Hats off to Alice! Have a wonderful summer! Fran Mullin Healthy Northern Kennebec Director
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Update on Substance Abuse Prevention Services 
Summer is here, and with it brings the start of new contracts and work plans. Healthy Northern Kennebec was awarded funds to continue expanded substance abuse prevention services. HNK plans to work with the MaineGeneral Prevention Center to ensure that health care professionals know about the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP). The PMP is a tool to improve coordination of care and prevent and detect prescription drug misuse. HNK and Prevention Center staff will also help spread the word about local Drug Take Back events.
A key part of the 2015-2016 work plan is the focus on bringing more youth voices to the table by encouraging young people to become more involved in coalition activities and helping them tell their stories about how substance abuse has impacted their lives. In a related project, HNK staff is excited to be collaborating with Youth Matter! to award mini planning grants for youth-led empowerment initiatives. The goal is to get groups of young people sharing their stories about issues important to them with their schools and communities. One of the focus areas for these mini grants is young people's use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Look for more information about the mini-grants in the coming weeks.
Jamie Cotnoir, Grant Coordinator
Healthy Northern Kennebec
jcotnoir@healthynorthernkennebec.org
861-5203
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SNAP-Ed Snapshot
The lazy days of summer have brought a transition for SNAP-Ed staff. The Pick a Better Snack (PABS) classes ended at the end of May. This summer, Jacqueline and Madeleine offer nutrition education for Summer Youth Programs at Alfond Youth Center, Winslow Before and After School Summer Program, and Oakland Rec. Children will explore MyPlate food choices and engage in nutrition-related games or crafts. In addition, 4 classrooms of preschool children at Educare will participate in Eat Well Play Hard lessons.
Classes for adults continue at the High Hopes Clubhouse, the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter, and for some Diabetes Prevention groups. A pilot series was held at the Waterville Food Bank, with hopes to continue after some fine-tuning the schedule. Another new site will be at the City of Waterville Council Chambers, to be offered to clients of the Department of Human Services. These classes are called Ten Tips, and are based on MyPlate and Healthy Eating on a Budget.
One of our most successful ventures has been to offer Grocery Store Tour Events at local Hannaford stores. Eighty to one hundred people take part! Participants receive a "passport" when they register, and then visit 4 nutrition information tables. When their passport is complete, they can take the $10 Challenge, and get a $10 gift card. We will continue with these events about once a month. Flyers are distributed throughout the community.
We have done some outreach to local food banks to advertise our Store Tour Events. Additional outreach has been done to make connections with Kennebec Valley Community College, the Gerald Hotel, and Winslow Elementary School.
Please contact us if you have questions or feedback about our program!
Madeleine Martin, SNAP-Ed Coordinator
Healthy Northern Kennebec
mmartin@healthynorthernkennebec.org
861-5204
or
Jacqueline Stevens, SNAP-Ed Health Educator
Healthy Northern Kennebec
jstevens@healthynorthernkennebec.org
872-4485
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The Summer Food Program is Expanding Services 
Healthy Northern Kennebec would like to help spread the word about the FREE Summer Food Program in the towns of Winslow, Waterville and Vassalboro. Meals include breakfast, lunch and snacks to anyone age 18 and younger weekdays from June 23 through August 15. Children do not need to be enrolled or live in the towns listed. The only requirement is children are 18 years old or younger and meals must be eaten on site.
In Winslow meals will be offered Monday-Friday at the following sites: Winslow Elementary School's cafeteria; breakfast at 8 a.m. and lunch at 11 a.m.; Norton Street Playground at 11 a.m., Bellevue Street Park at 11:30 a.m., Halifax Street Playground at 11:50 a.m., and Clinton Avenue Playground 12:15.
In Waterville meals will be offered Monday-Friday at George J. Mitchell School; breakfast at 8 a.m. and lunch at 11:30 a.m.; Waterville Senior High School breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and lunch at 11:30 a.m.; Waterville Public Library at 11:45 a.m., North Street Playground at 11:45 a.m., Chaplain Street Playground at 11:45 a.m., South End Teen Center at noon, and Armory Road Housing at 12:15 p.m.
In Vassalboro lunch will be offered Monday-Friday at Vassalboro Community School at 11 a.m., Brock Trailer Park at 11:20 a.m. and the Old Mill parking area, in North Vassalboro, at 11:45 a.m.
Alice Schlosser, Program Assistant
Healthy Northern Kennebec
aschlosser@healthynorthernkennebec.org
861-5276
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 Program pairing police department with mental health professionals expands to Augusta
Crisis & Counseling Centers' (C&C's) Midnight Team program, which pairs behavioral health professionals with a patrolling police officer during evening hours, has expanded to Augusta based on community need.
The original Midnight Team program, established in Waterville in 1996, exposes law enforcement officers to residents with mental health and substance abuse issues in an effort to help officers understand alternative ways to interact with this population and reduce unnecessary arrests. Midnight Team crisis workers, who are trained to provide rapid response to individuals and families in crisis, primarily work out of a police car.
The relationship that law enforcement officers and Midnight Team staff develop through the program is invaluable, with each party bringing different knowledge and resources to every situation.
As a result of the Midnight Team program, the Waterville Police Department has reduced involuntary committals to emergency departments by 15 to 20 percent. The program has also reduced the number of arrests of people with mental health concerns, instead allowing crisis workers to assess the situation and determine a treatment plan - saving law enforcement's time and taxpayer dollars.
For more information about C&C, call Central Access at 207.626.3448 or visit crisisandcounseling.org. If you are in crisis, call 1.888.568.1112.
Courtney Yeager, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator
Crisis & Counseling Centers
cyeager@crisisandcounseling.org
213-4523
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The Central Public Health District (CPHD) has received a 4 year $175,000.00 implementation  grant from the Maine Oral Health Fund at the Maine Community Foundation. The grant begins July 1 and includes hiring a part-time Community Health Worker, (CHW) who lives in Somerset or Northern Kennebec County. The CHW will provide peer parent to parent oral health education, patient navigation and advocacy. The CHW will help assess and address the cultural barriers and service access barriers to good oral health in the region.
He or she will help parents of children birth through 5 years of age with assistance in securing a dental home and will develop relationship with existing community agencies that support parents in this age group. i.e., Head Start, WIC, Public Health Nursing and other home visitation programs.
Additional work by the CPHD will include development of an oral health education module, data collection, and developing a plan for sustainability of this work after the funding ends.
For additional information, please contact Wendie Lagasse.
Wendie Lagasse, Public Health Specialist
Center for Prevention and Healthy Living
wendie.lagasse@mainegeneral.org
861-5275
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Health Information Table at Fireman's Field Days
Juanita Bean, HealthReach Connector at Lovejoy Health Center, will sponso r a table in Albion during Fireman's Field Days in the field behind the Besse building on Saturday, July 25 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Bean will answer questions about the Health Insurance Marketplace and programs that can help pay for healthcare. She will also have printed materials highlighting health programs and services in the community.
The Besse building is located at 22 Main Street in Albion, Maine. The day's festivities will largely take place in the field behind the building.
Lovejoy Health Center is a practice of HealthReach Community Health Centers, a system of eleven Federally Qualified Health Centers and two dental practices in Central and Western Maine. Dedicated providers deliver high quality health care to citizens in over 80 rural communities. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts major insurances and Medicare and MaineCare, offers an Affordable Care Program based on family size and income to uninsured and underinsured residents, and assist patients in enrolling in programs that help pay for health care and medications. A private, non-profit organization celebrating a 38 year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants and individual donations.
Joshua D'Errico, Communications Department
HealthReach
Joshua.Derrico@HealthReach.org
660-9914
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Healthy Living Resource Center Focuses on Healthy Families
This summer, the Healthy Living Resource  Center has 17 classes promoting healthy lifestyle changes including several classes designed to encourage families to be healthier together:
* Teaching Your Kids to Cook Health
* Drums AliveŽ
* Walk with Us!
* Yoga for the Entire Family
* A FREE Event: Family Fun Field Day on Aug. 11
Classes are low-cost and support and promote the adoption of healthy lifestyles, including healthy cooking and eating, physical movement, and healthy mind and body. Scholarship assistance is available for those who need financial assistance. Classes are available in Gardiner, Hallowell, Augusta, Manchester, Waterville, Belgrade Lakes, and Unity.
View the entire list of classes and register online at www.mainegeneral.org by clicking on "Search All Classes and Events" or by calling 626-1275.
Wendy Jorgensen,Program Associate
Center for Prevention and Healthy Living
Wendy.jorgensen@mainegeneral.org
626-1279
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SITTING IS THE NEW SMOKING
Over the past 20 years worksite wellness has largely focused on reducing tobacco use among employees, as this is the number one preventable risk for many diseases. Smoke-free policies have been extremely successful in these efforts.
A new epidemic of "sitting" disease now shifts our attention toward physical inactivity as the top risk for chronic disease - affecting health, wellbeing, and productivity. To address this issue we must create a culture that embraces physical activity, especially in the workplace where people spend many hours of the day. Policies and environmental approaches (for example, walking clubs, trails, or stairwell enhancements) are effective and low-cost to employers.
To learn more about the importance of moving, watch this great video "23 and ˝ hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo (9 min - all worth it!).
How much do you sit in a day? Help your employees limit their time spent sitting & sleeping to just 23 ˝ hours each day.
If your organization (big or small) is interested in creating a physical activity policy, contact the Prevention Center at 872-4102.
Malindi Thompson, Project Assistant
Center for Prevention and Healthy Living
malindi.thompson@mainegeneral.org
861-5248
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Mentor is Lorena and Mentee is Abby
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The Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCA of Greater Waterville is one of only 38 YMCA's to offer the national YMCA Reach & RiseŽ Mentoring Program designed to provide therapeutic mentoring relationships for the youth in our community struggling to reach their full potential. We are excited to bring this program to Greater-Waterville and eager to be a part of the impact it will have on the community.
Reach & Rise is currently in need of adult mentors
Caring, responsible, dependable adults who want to make a difference. Adults like you. Currently, there are dozens of youth referred to the program in need of mentors, but few adults have stepped up to the challenge and rewards of being a mentor.
Mentors participate in a comprehensive & engaging training that fully prepares you to have a positive impact in the life of a child. The program director works closely with you and the child and his/her family/guardian to provide on-going support for your relationship. Reach & Rise is a community-based mentoring program, which means that activities may take place at the Y or at other area destinations such as museums, parks, sporting events, the library... the options are as endless as are the benefits to the child.
You are truly empowered to make a positive difference in the life of a young person.
To volunteer (or recommend a youth for Reach & Rise), contact Ryan Kneeland.
Ryan Kneeland, Program Director
Reach & Rise
rkneeland@alfondyourthcenter.org
873-0684 x 254
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Waterville Walks! Press Release
Waterville Walks!, a new community walking program, kicked off on June 4 at Quarry Road Recreation Area with 25 walkers in attendance. Waterville Walks! meets every Thursday at 5:30pm at Quarry Road, from June through October with a variety of enthusiastic volunteer walk leaders from local organizations. There is also a weekly Waterville Walks! group, spearheaded by Waterville Main Street, that meets every Wednesday at noon in Castonguay Square and walks around the beautiful downtown.
Waterville Walks! is a free, volunteer supported walking program designed to get people of all ages moving, socially connected, and gaining the health benefits of regular exercise. Waterville Walks! is sponsored by Inland Hospital in collaboration with Waterville Parks & Recreation, Healthy Northern Kennebec, Friends of Quarry Road, Central Maine Ski Club, Kennebec Messalonskee Trails, Let's Go! Kennebec, and Waterville Main Street. Participants in this free walking program are connected to other walkers at their level while encouragement and support come from volunteer walk leaders and others in the program.
For more information, join the Waterville Walks! Meetup page at meetup.com/Waterville-Walks or to learn how you can start a walking group contact Ellen Wells.
Ellen Wells,Community Wellness Team Leader
Inland Hospital
ewells@emhs.org
861-3292
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MaineGeneral Health Launches Center for Prevention and Healthy Living
Media Release
On July 1, MaineGeneral Health unveiled the Center for Prevention and Healthy Living, a resource to help people live healthier lives.
"MaineGeneral provides more than medical care in our facilities. We are your resource for living a healthier life," said CEO Chuck Hays. "We are meeting people in the community where they are most comfortable to provide education and tools to help them maintain and regain their health."
The Center is an expansion of current community resources: the Prevention Center and the Healthy Living Resource Center.
The Prevention Center at MaineGeneral began in 1998 to support the system's mission of enhancing the health of the people of the Kennebec Valley. The center links patients to the care they need through patient navigation and community health workers.
The Healthy Living Resource Center (HLRC), created with funding from the Peter Alfond Foundation, began last year. The HLRC provides educational opportunities that support lifestyle changes that reduce and eliminate chronic health conditions and support healthy living and healing.
To learn more about the Center for Prevention and Healthy Living, call 872-4102.
Joy Leach, Director of Marketing & Communications
MaineGeneral Health
joy.leach@mainegeneral.org
837-4885
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