Public forum to discuss County Health Profile, Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assessment

Community members from across Piscataquis County will be given an opportunity to shape priorities  for community health at a special forum aimed at providing input to the region’s public health and healthcare  organizations.

The forum will discuss the Piscataquis County Health Profile and is scheduled for 1-3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7, online via  Zoom. The Piscataquis County Health Profile contains data that describe health outcomes, health behaviors, healthcare  access and quality, and the social, community, and physical environment that affect our health. Previous forums were  held in 2011, 2015 and 2018. 

We want to share this data and get our neighbors’ input about what they see as our biggest health issues. The presentation will also include a list of past priorities and what our partners have been doing to address them. 

The event is free and open to the public. To reserve a spot, please register here Maine Shared Community Health Needs  Assessment: Community Forum Registration Survey (www.surveymonkey.com). In addition to collecting input on local health priorities, the forum will also collect information about local resources that could help to address those priorities.  

Forums and other community feedback will be used as guidance to create new, county-specific health improvement  plans in the spring of 2022. As in the past, this forum is an important step in the Maine Shared Community Health Needs  Assessment (Maine Shared CHNA). 

The Maine Shared CHNA process will roll out in three stages: 

• County Health Profiles are scheduled to be released in August.

• Forums and other outreach are scheduled to be held between September and December. This includes  community presentations, conversations and other input. 

• Final CHNA reports are scheduled to be released in April 2022. These reports will include a summary of the  input collected from our communities. 

For more information, go to the Maine Shared CHNA website (www.mainechna.org) for schedules, local contacts, Health  Profiles and an interactive data portal. The website will also host event agendas, handouts, presentations and when available, the final CHNA reports. 

This forum is a collaborative effort among Bangor Public Health and Community Services, Health Access Network,  Helping Hands with Heart, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Millinocket Regional Hospital, Northern  Light Acadia Hospital, Northern Light CA Dean Hospital, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, Northern Light  Health, Northern Light Mayo Hospital, Penobscot Community Health Care, Penobscot Valley Hospital, Penquis Public  Health Council, St. Joseph Healthcare & Hospital and United Way of Eastern Maine. 

The Maine Shared CHNA is a public-private statewide effort. Funding for the Maine Shared CHNA is provided by the  partnering healthcare systems with generous in-kind support from the Maine CDC and our community partners.