Better Together Health Summit 2024

The @Home In Adams County community engagement initiative was formed in 2018 & officially staffed and launched in January 2019 to address the ongoing issues of severe shortages of housing in line with local incomes, transportation options, and stagnant wages across Adams County. https://www.homeinadamscounty.org | Robin Fitzpatrick, rfitzpatrick@adamsalliance.org

We know lasting change only occurs when people and communities lead the way; that’s why United Way of Berks County is working with The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, along with Berks Alliance, Centro Hispano and The Wyomissing Foundation, to spur education and community transformation in Reading.

The coalition is joining residents and community partners to focus on two primary goals of this initiative: (1) generate community-led transformation on education concerns that matter to people; (2) strengthen the civic culture of Reading so the community can take effective, sustainable action. The group is acting on three community-driven action items: early childhood education, English as a Second Language and after/out-of-school programs. As a part of this work, we facilitated a series of community conversations with residents to turn outward and gain public knowledge, with a central philosophy of “doing with…not to”. Teams are now planning action steps around community goals.

As we work with residents and partners, we will learn together and inspire each other around shared challenges and aspirations. At the heart of this initiative is the belief that by working together, the people of Reading can build a more hopeful, equitable, fair and inclusive path forward. https://www.uwberks.org/ | Kristin Garis, kristing@uwberks.org

Communities That Care (CTC) is an “operating system” that takes communities through a well-defined and structured process to prevent adolescent problem behaviors and promote positive youth development. CTC communities form a broad-based coalition and then collect local data on risk and protective factors shown by research to be associated with delinquency, violence, substance use, and school failure and dropout. After collecting this data the communities identifies 3-5 specific risk and protective factors to focus on, and then seeks evidence-based programs and strategies to address those priorities. After 2-3 years of implementing these strategies, the community re-assesses their risk and protective factors to measure impact and identify new emerging priorities. | Caitlin Lockard, clockard@sarccheals.org

We believe bicycles can make our community a better place to live and work. We want to empower people so that they can confidently ride a bike and know how to repair it. Lebanon Bicycle Recycle offers a hands-on program to repair bikes with an opportunity to earn a bike using volunteer hours. https://lebanonbicyclerecycle.com/ | Laurie Crawford, lcrawford4@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

Teen Intervene is a local program that helps teens identify a potential substance use disorder. It provides screening, a plan for intervention and sometimes, referral to more treatment. Teen Intervene is designed for teenagers who many have mild or moderate substance use disorder with any drugs including alcohol, marijuana, and opioids. Teen Intervene offers help.  It can be provided, for free, in a variety of setting, even at school.  Connect with Lebanon Family Health Services and sign up for the Teen Intervene Screening and Intervention Program. https://lebanonfamilyhealth.org/teen-intervene/ | Maggie Progin, maggie@lebanonfamilyhealth.org

Ashley Visco is the Community Health Director at Penn State Health, leading efforts in food access initiatives across a six-county service area. For over a decade, Penn State Health and the College of Medicine have been dedicated to addressing food insecurity and promoting nutrition through 10 distinct programs focused on food access and health improvement. Ashley and her team collaborate with local organizations to expand and implement community-based health initiatives. More information about PSH Community Health can be found at: https://www.pennstatehealth.org/community | Ashley Visco, avisco@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

The Penn State Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program in Central Pennsylvania is a collaboration of community organizations, leaders and public health professionals. This dedicated group is leading the charge in the CDC’s mission to decrease health disparities and promote health equity specifically within the Hispanic and Latino populations. https://www.reachcentralpa.org/ | Dr. Jen Kraschnewski, jkraschnewski@pennstatehealth.psu.edu and Andrea Murray, amurray3@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

To demonstrate the feasibility of using a video-delivered narrative communication intervention to educate, engage, and encourage pregnant people and recent mothers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. William Calo, wcalo@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

This recuperative care program supports patients who require a short-term place to heal. This 30- to 45-day program addresses medical and social complexities while offering shelter, basic necessities and access to community resources.

Arches supports more than 100 patients annually, leasing beds for patients in partnering shelters and personal care homes. The program has shown an 80 percent reduction in emergency department visits, and 71 percent of program participants are connected to permanent housing. Website | Katie Wilt, kwilt3@wellspan.org

In June 2023, the York Area MPO adopted the York County Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The plan includes ten critical recommendations for action – a set of projects, policies, and programs – to achieve its vision of York County as a home to a complete and connected bike and pedestrian network with facilities enjoyable for anyone regardless of their age, ability, or experience. The plan illustrates 36 connections to build a better county bicycle and pedestrian network. Since the plan’s adoption, YAMPO has formally created a Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, which meets quarterly, and a working group focused on advancing Complete Streets ordinances throughout the county. http://bit.ly/YorkBikePedPlan | Mike Pritchard, mpritchard@ycpc.org