You or someone you know may be a perfect fit for the Rural Health Service Corps, RHNSCNY's AmeriCorps National Service Program, which provides meaningful service and learning opportunities for people committed to improving the health and well-being of those living in South Central New York.
Want to know more? Click here to see descriptions of available full- and pa rt-time positions.   |
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Mark your calendars for this extraordinary opportunity!
When: July 13-22 8am-5pm
Where: Norwich Middle School, Midland Dr. Norwich
What: A partnership with the Department of Defense to provide an opportunity for residents of Chenango County AND neighboring counties to participate in no-cost military training program known as Innovative Readiness Training (IRT).
Services provided at NO-COST: Dental, Medical, Optometry, Veterinary.
To schedule appointments:
Veterinary: (please call 9-11am, M-F) 607-334-9724 ext. 3
Dental: 607-337-1643
Approximately 900 volunteers are needed to assist service personnel in delivering services.
Would you like to volunteer?
Contact: Chenango County United Way: 607-334-8815 or click here for their website.
Check out the Greater Chenango Cares Facebook Page by clicking here.
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Contact Us
For more information please visit our website at or call us at
(607) 692-7669.
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Recent Media
Read media coverage about just a few of Rural Health Network's collaborative programs and activities.
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is pleased to announce that the
2015 Annual Campaign
will kick off, very soon!
STAY TUNED!
An official mailing and email announcement will take place this month!
In the meantime, check out our website at to learn more about our programs, services, and how you can get involved! Help us ensure everyone is on the path to better health in 2015! |
The New York State Department of Health recently funded a new initiative, the Population Health Improvement Program (PHIP). PHIP is a regional planning process that seeks to be responsive to its community and the priorities the community identifies for population health. PHIP will achieve these goals by:
- Creating a neutral forum to enable collaboration about and discussion of issues related to population health, health disparities, and the regional care delivery system.
- Developing a data-driven picture of population health within the region and allow all regional stakeholders to leverage this analysis for their own organizations and regional collaboration.
- Completing an assessment of health disparities and population health in the region, make that assessment publicly available, and, in conjunction with the community, outline priorities for addressing health disparities and improving population health.
- Identifying, sharing, and disseminating best practices and strategies to promote better health outcomes and reduce disparities across the population of each region.
Healthlink NY (formerly Southern Tier Health Link) has been named as the lead agency for the Southern Tier PHIP region made up of Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Tioga and Tompkins Counties. Healthlink NY has sub-contracted with RHNSCNY, the Chenango Health Network, the Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County, and Cornell Cooperative Extension - Delaware County to perform county-level health disparities research as well as be the face of the program in their respective county service areas.
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| | Emily Hotchkiss and Mary Maruscak, Population Health Coordinators for Broome and Tioga Counties. |
RHNSCNY is responsible for the implementation of the program in Broome and Tioga Counties, and welcomes Mary Maruscak and Emily Hotchkiss as Population Health Coordinators. Emily and Mary will work closely with county-level leaders and stakeholders to examine priority health issues and assist with developing an action plan for addressing those issues.
To learn more about PHIP in Broome and Tioga County, please reach out to Emily or Mary, and for information about PHIP in Delaware, Chenango, and Tompkins County, see the contact information listed below.
HealthlinkNY: Adam Hughes, PHIP Manager: (607) 651-9150 ahughes@healthlinkny.com
Broome County: Emily Hotchkiss, Population Health Coordinator: (607)692-7669 ehotchkiss@rhnscny.org
Chenango County: Victoria Reid, Population Health Coordinator: (607)337-4320 victoria@chenangohealth.org
Delaware County: Jeanne Darling, Executive Director: (607) 865-6532 jmd30@cornell.edu
Tioga County: Mary Maruscak, Population Health Coordinator: (607) 972-0329 mmaruscak@rhnscny.org
Tompkins County: John Mazzello, Population Health Coordinator: (607) 273-3002 jmazzello@hsctc.org
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Partner Highlight: Whitney Point School District
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This is the first in our series of Partner Highlights.
Each quarter, we will share and highlight the exemplary work
of one of RHN's partner organizations.
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Rural Health Network of SCNY (RHNSCNY) partners with many organizations ito help improve health outcomes in Broome, Tioga, and Delaware Counties and beyond. One of these partners, the Whitney Point School District (WPCSD), serves the Northern Broome County community, in which RHNSCNY's main office is located. In addition to the school's primary role of educating students in K-12, the Whitney Point School District also works to address a problem faced by many rural communities: the need to provide services to families when resources are in short supply.
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 Across the region, schools play a vital role in supporting families. Schools are present in most communities and often function as central access points to services provided through various partnerships. Due to the small size of rural communities in particular, there is often overlap between local government and the school. "Our schools act as a major source of information and can grant awareness on a variety of topics to everyone in the district," Whitney Point Mayor Ryan Reynolds says. "I think it's very important that they utilize their sphere of influence to help lead and better our community as a whole."
One way the Whitney Point Central School District fills this role is through the Wellness Committee, which implements policy that follows the WPCSD mission of providing a school environment that promotes and protects student health, well-being, and the ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity.Olivia Consol, a Rural Health Service Corps AmeriCorps member, represents RHNSCNY on the Wellness Committee. Other AmeriCorps members serving with RHNSCNY have provided health education and additional programs to WPCSD students. Currently, the committee is updating the WPCSD Wellness Policy, which covers areas such as improving the quality of food provided at school events, increasing the number of opportunities for physical education and activities, and promoting nutrition education among staff and students.
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In addition to policy changes, the Wellness Committee plays a role in actively bringing healthy activities to the community, such as a recent Drug Awareness and Community Wellness Forum (which took place April 22nd, 2015). "We are open at our district to working with community leaders, agencies, higher education, and that affords to be able to provide a variety of services and opportunities to support others," says Murphee Hayes, the Director of Athletics, Health and Physical Education and Chair of the Wellness Committee. "Through these collaborative efforts our community builds a great sense of pride in helping each other, may that be physically, mentally, or socially."
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The Rural Health Network of South Central New York has received a 2015 Community Partner Award from UnitedHealthcare. At an event attended by Rural Health Network board members, staff and community partners, representatives from UnitedHealthcare presented Executive Director Jack Salo with a check for $10,000 in Whitney Point on May 21st.
In response to receiving the award, Jack Salo said, "The Rural Health Network of South Central New York greatly appreciates this award and donation from UnitedHealthcare. The funding will be used to improve access to health services for rural residents through our Community Health Services division. Additionally, the donation will help support Connection To Care, a non-emergency medical transportation fund for rural residents in need, and the Food & Health Network of South Central New York, a collaborative project working to improve food security and nutrition in our region."
Following the check presentation, those in attendance enjoyed a luncheon reception at Aiello's Restaurant hosted by UnitedHealthcare. Linda Goldsworthy, Senior Director of the Upstate Market for UnitedHealthcare Plan of NY commented on the need to continue with outreach and health education efforts in rural communities to ensure that all residents have access to quality, affordable health services. Rural Health Network provides meeting space for a UnitedHealthcare Certified Application Counselor to assist residents of Northern Broome and Tioga County in applying for health insurance through the NYS Marketplace.
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