Our Medicine Storytelling— Upper Valley Public Health

White River Junction BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ Storytelling for Health Equity

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It is crucial that health systems create intentional space and time to listen to the communities they are responsible for serving. This storytelling series was designed to honor and share the stories of underserved populations. They were thoughtfully facilitated and attended by combinations of community members and BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA2s+ health providers. There were opportunities for storytelling and listening in small and large group settings throughout the two events.

This intervention was open to all BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ community members who wished to share their stories about their experiences with barriers to health access and racism and prejudice experienced when seeking healthcare.

This program was developed with the belief that humans are innately drawn to stories. When we hear stories we are compelled to empathetic action. We live in a moment when data and health science are often mistrusted, but stories connect us to others. Through witnessing these stories, the medical community can learn about the expressed needs and experiences of those they are responsible for serving and can inform policy change through this empathetic lens.

The benefit of this intervention is threefold and compounding: the storytellers are held within a safe, empathetic, often cathartic environment by a community that shares their experiences and desire for change; the events are a trust building exercise between BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ community members and providers that encourage health seeking behaviors through relationship building; the widely shared reports harness the empathetic, transformative power of storytelling that influences policy and procedural change at all levels of the health system to serve BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, and, ultimately, all community members more equitably. The report from this series is available here.

Every community is the expert in their own health and needs. When we listen to BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ voices we eradicate racist/oppressive constructs like “empowerment” and move into a space of deep understanding that each community has the power and brilliance to achieve equity. It is racism and marginalization that stand in the way of these achievements. A platform for storytelling and listening recognizes this brilliance and creates an opportunity for BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals to share firsthand knowledge and experience of how they can be better served by health systems. Storytelling dismantles power structures and creates an innately human trust-building exercise between communities and health systems. These events lead to equitable policy change, deeper understandings, and – as mentioned above – increased trust.

This programming was created and implemented by me, Murphy Barney. This is a process I have designed and facilitated as a part of the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program in Ethiopia; with displaced persons in Greece; and with StoryCorps as an Account Manager throughout the United States. Additionally, I am a Two Spirit Shoshone woman who was raised on stories and studied storytelling as a tool for health equity during my Masters of Public Health training at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Excerpt from project report prepared by Murphy Barney, May 2023.

Elects Board Members at Annual Meeting

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Current Board Members Brett Mayfield, Alice Ely (Executive Director), Rudy Fedrizzi, Jen Barkley, Julius Turner, Roberta Berner, and Suellen Griffin at Annual Meeting (Photo credit – Alex Driehaus)

On November 17, the Public Health Council of the Upper Valley (PHC) Board of Directors held their annual meeting at Harvest Hill’s Dwinnell Room with about 35 community members and public health advocates in attendance.

During the business portion of the meeting, departing board members Roberta Berner (West Lebanon), Nicole Coleman (Lebanon), Dan Fraser (White River Junction), and Katie Kobe Kent (Quechee) were recognized for their many contributions. W. Brett Mayfield, Hartford Town Health Officer, among other roles, was elected to his second term as PHC Board Chair.

The Board also welcomed new Directors Mark Bradley, Amanda Jordan Smith, Shaun Mulholland, Alisha Robinson, Andrea Smith, and Kym Williams. Mark Bradley serves as the Executive Director of the White River Council on Aging (aka Bugbee Senior Center). Amanda Jordan Smith is the Program Lead for Volunteers in Action (ViA) at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center and is a DEIB Consultant. Shaun Mulholland has been Lebanon’s City Manager since 2018. Alisha Robinson serves Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital as the HR Business Partner and Coordinator for the hospital’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program. Andrea Smith supports substance misuse prevention through her role at Dartmouth-Health’s Population Health Department. Kym Williams is a public health strategy consultant specializing in community-engaged research, program design, and evaluation.

Alice Ely, Executive Director of the PHC, spoke about the organization’s work over the past 18 months managing the Upper Valley Community Health Equity Partnership, a program funded through the Vermont Public Health Institute by the State of Vermont’s CDC Health Disparities Grant. Ten community-based organizations received mini-grants to address the root causes of isolation, mental illness, and substance misuse among the Upper Valley’s BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ residents.

PHC is our region’s trusted leader in public health, supporting the people, professionals, and organizations who, together, make our communities healthier places to live, work, and play. Our mission is to improve the health of all Upper Valley residents.

The next meeting of the Public Health Council is Friday, January 19, 2024, from 9:00 to 11:00 am. The meeting will be virtual. The agenda and login information can be found on the PHC website at www.uvpublichealth.org. All meetings are open to the public.

2023 Community Flu Vaccine Clinics

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Each fall, partner organizations across the Upper Valley come together to provide seasonal flu vaccine to our community members. This year is no exception. Many experts predict we will see significant flu transmission this season. And because COVID-19 transmission is ticking up, protecting people from seasonal flu illness is very important.

There are numerous options for vaccination. Please use the information below to find the right vaccine option for you and your family.

This list DOES NOT include school-based flu vaccine clinics offered in many of our New Hampshire schools. This is because these clinics are reserved only for students of those schools. If your child has the opportunity to get a vaccine in one of these school-based clinics, we encourage you to sign them up.

Public Health Council & Dartmouth Hitchcock Hosts Series of Community Flu Clinics

Starting on October 7th, the Public Health Council, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Geisel School of Medicine and other partners will host free seasonal flu vaccine clinics in communities around our region. Clinic details are below:

*All PHC clinics are walk-in only, free to all, and there are no registrations required. See other guidance below.

Saturday, October 7th

10am to 1pm
Plainfield Elementary School
(92 Bonner Rd, Meriden, NH)

Wednesday, October 11th

4pm to 7pm
Oxbow High School
(36 Oxbow Dr, Bradford, VT)

Thursday, October 12th

4pm to 7pm
Enfield Community Building
(308 US Route 4, Enfield, NH)

Saturday, October 21st

10am to 1pm
Orford Congregational Church
(617 NH Route 10, Orford, NH)

Friday, October 27th

4pm to 7pm
Mascoma Community Health Center
(18 Roberts Rd, Canaan, NH)

Saturday, October 28th (Just added!)

10am to 1pm
Windsor Welcome Center
(3 Railroad Avenue, Windsor, VT)

PHC Vaccination Clinic Guidance

  • Offering regular dose vaccine and enhanced vaccine for people 65+. We will NOT be offering COVID-19 vaccines at these clinics.
  • Please practice social distancing for all clinics.
  • Everyone will be encouraged to wear a mask. A mask can be provided for you if you do not have one.
  • Please do not come if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Please do not arrive more than 15 minutes prior to the start of the clinic.

Other Flu Vaccine Options in the Upper Valley

Dartmouth Health

Dartmouth-Hitchcock will also be offering numerous flu vaccine clinic options for Dartmouth Health patients at various locations at the Medical Center this year. Please go to their Lebanon Flu Clinic Schedule webpage for details. Reservations are required. If you are a DHMC patient and use myD-H.org to make an appointment. If you do not use myD-H, you may call the Flu Hotline at 603-653-3731.

When you schedule your appointment, please have your insurance card ready. If you carry health care insurance, we will bill your carrier at no cost to you. For individuals who do not have any health insurance, we will be providing flu vaccines free of charge. Please contact the Flu Hotline for more information.

Valley News

Many of these clinics will be posted to the Valley News Calendar, available online and in the print edition.

We wish all our Upper Valley neighbors a healthy and safe fall and winter!

New UV CHIP Released

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Every three years, the Public Health Council of the Upper Valley (PHC) and our partners compile a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) that highlights work occurring in health care, social service, and many other organizations across our region.

In March of 2023, the PHC’s Board of Directors and Advisory Council approved the release of our latest CHIP: Summary of Community Health Efforts Planned Across the Upper Valley: 2023 to 2025. We hope our partners and community members will use this plan to learn more about our region, find new partners, and mobilize to address concerns our residents care most about.

Click on the image at left to download the CHIP document.

The CHIP starts with the results of the most recent Community Health Needs Assessments conducted by the region’s health care organizations to set the priority health concerns. We then gather information about the many ways partners plan to address the priority health concerns, especially through collaboration with others. The CHIP gives us a road map of what is being done, what is being planned, how we can participate, and what gaps we can fill to improve health in the Upper Valley.

Priority Health Concerns: 2023 to 2025

  • Access to Mental Health Services
  • Cost of Health Care Services, Health Insurance and Dental Care
  • Access to Healthy and Affordable Food
  • Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery
  • Child Wellbeing
  • Socio-Economic Conditions: Housing and Others
  • Public Health Emergency Preparedness

A Summary of a Lot of Work by Many Partners

This summary Community Health Improvement Plan certainly does not include all the community health work going on in our region nor does our listing of Lead Partners contain all the people, organizations and institutions collaborating to improve our community’s health. Please forgive us for glaring omissions and reach out to us to discuss what we can do better to reflect how our community responds to priority health concerns.

Measuring Our Impact

High level indicators should be reliable, comparable and available over time. We have selected a narrow set of indicators that meet these criteria. As strategies are further developed, we will look for ways to measure the process and impact of the work as well, but those measures are not yet available to include in this document. We will also be looking for ways to capture health disparities data for traditionally marginalized groups, explore measures of social vulnerability, and embrace new data sources and tools as they become available.

PHC is Hiring: Part-Time Business Administrator

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The Public Health Council of the Upper Valley (PHC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit coalition of health and human services organizations that works to improve community health by promoting collaboration, advocating for policies and practices that support health, and providing education to partners and community members on priority health concerns. PHC has an office in Lebanon and covers 34 towns in NH and VT.

PHC does not discriminate internally (in its administrative and program operations) or externally (in provision of services) on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, political orientation, religion, military or veteran status, or mental or physical disability or any other status prohibited by applicable law. We are a small workplace and strive to be inclusive, supportive, and welcoming. Please reach out if you need accommodation in applying.

Position Details

Part-Time: 8 to 10 hours weekly

Location: Hybrid  — Applicant must live within 40 miles of Lebanon, NH, office location.

Hourly Rate: $30 to $34 (depending on experience)

Benefits: Position is not benefits eligible.

Work Schedule: Flexible. Some Mon-Fri hours for coordination of tasks. In fall and during Town Meeting season, some evening and weekend hours will be expected.

Reports to: Executive Director

The PHC Business Administrator will complete organizational and management tasks that adhere to best practices and requirements for non-profit business operations and reporting. The PHC Business Administrator will support the productivity and growth of a small, community-based nonprofit focused on improving community health.

Qualifications/Prior Experience:

  • Confidentiality, efficient time management, excellent organizational skills, and attention to accuracy are essential qualifications for this position, as is the ability to communicate clearly.
  • Experience in bookkeeping, business administration, or a related field.
  • Knowledge of QuickBooks and Microsoft Office, especially Excel.
  • Ability to understand financial data, processes, and procedures and understanding of generally accepted accounting principles.
  • Basic understanding of nonprofit bookkeeping operations is preferred, but not required.

Responsibilities include, but are not be limited to:

  • Managing bi-weekly A/P and A/R by reviewing/coding invoices and receipts, providing instructions and documentation to external bookkeeper, and maintaining internal records/filing systems.
  • Managing financial aspects of grants and contracts received by PHC, including internal and grant reporting and invoicing.
  • Preparing financial reports for Executive Director and Board Treasurer monthly and as needed.
  • Working with Executive Director and Board Treasurer to prepare annual budgets for Board approval and supporting Executive Director with financial aspects of grant applications.
  • Support fundraising campaigns by helping Executive Director with preparing campaigns and managing gift recording and acknowledgements.
  • Manage annual Town Appropriation requests to include preparing and delivering annual request letters and Town Reports, coordinating town petition drives (developing petition documents, creating a timeline and schedule for signature collection, and helping to recruit volunteers among Board members and other partners to collect signatures).
  • Plan strategies for streamlining and improving business operations, to include reviewing and proposing updates to PHC Fiscal Manual.

To apply for this position, please send a letter of interest to Alice Ely at alice.ely@uvpublichealth.org. In your letter, please tell us what about this position is of most interest to you. What about this position speaks to your experience or your personal goals? Please send a resume or summary of work experience as well. Interviews will begin in the week of June 19, 2023, and will close when a candidate has been selected.