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Rural Health Information Hub

Healthy Monadnock Alliance

  • Year Network was Established: 2007
  • Program Representative Interviewed: Linda Rubin
  • Service Area: The Monadnock Region (33 towns), NH
  • Program Overview: Healthy Monadnock Alliance is a community-engaged network engagement initiative that seeks to make the Monadnock region (33 towns) of New Hampshire “the healthiest community in the nation.” Developed and funded primarily by the local hospital, Cheshire Medical Center Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene, and supplemented with private and public grants, Healthy Monadnock Alliance utilizes, engages, and aligns a network of community partners to implement evidence-based prevention strategies. Their main focus is on particular upstream determinants of health through environment and policy changes.

    Guided by five overarching goals (healthy eating, active living, educational attainment, living wages, and mental well-being), there are currently 27 wellness and quality of life strategies being implemented. Healthy Monadnock Alliance recruits champions who promise to make incremental improvements in their health. Champions recruit other local champions from family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Healthy Monadnock Alliance also oversees an annual community summit, where residents provide input into particular areas of focus for the coalition.

    There are currently 11 community partners in Healthy Monadnock Alliance, including:
    • Schools
    • Community and service organizations
    • Healthcare
    • Local government
    • Nonprofit organizations
    • Local coalitions addressing the food system, the built environment, and transportation