Expanded Special Needs Information Program

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Hanover Police Department and Special Needs Support Center Announce Expansion of SNIP

The Public Health Council works with our partners to ensure all people in the Upper Valley community have the supports they need along their life span to reach optimal mental wellness, including prevention and education, early detection and intervention, and all stigma-free. This includes promoting ways to keep our most vulnerable neighbors safe in times of crisis. This Special Needs Information Program is one example of our local law enforcement agencies stepping up to help. We are pleased to share information about this program.

The Hanover Police Department and the Special Needs Support Center (SNSC) announce the expansion of the Special Needs Information Program (SNIP), a program to help emergency responders identify and respond to vulnerable residents with special needs.

This is a voluntary program in which special needs community members of any age, or their family members, submit information such as triggers, special accommodations, emergency contacts and a photograph. The information is entered into a database in which the Police Officers and Dispatch Team have access.  This is an expansion of the pilot project launched by SNSC and Lebanon Police Department two years ago and recently launched in Hartford, VT.

A New Safety Tool for Our Community

“Estimates show that as many as 80% of people who become involved with law enforcement are individuals affected by autism, Down syndrome, dementia or another form of developmental or mental impairment” said Laura Perez, SNSC Executive Director. “The benefits of the program to our most vulnerable citizens and to law enforcement make it an invaluable safety tool for our community. The tool is free to residents and provides local law enforcement with essential information prior to an emergency.”

“Our implementation of the Special Needs Information Program (SNIP) into the Hanover Police Department will allow individuals, family members, or caregivers to provide information about individuals with special needs into a database that can provide first responders with important information during a response on how best to prepare for an individual’s needs.” said Charlie Dennis, Chief of Police of the Hanover Police Department. “The addition of SNIP into our department will also open the program up to all twenty-six entities we dispatch for through our Hanover Regional Communications Center. SNIP will be a great asset in helping us better serve our community.”

Many New Hampshire and Vermont Towns Covered

This partnership between SNSC and Hanover Police Department expands the program to residents of the New Hampshire towns of Hanover, Etna, Canaan, Cornish, Enfield, Lyme, Orford, Plainfield, Piermont, Meriden, Grafton, Grantham, Springfield, Dorchester, and Orange as well as the Vermont towns of Norwich, Thetford, Fairlee, Bradford, Strafford, Vershire, W. Fairlee, Corinth, Orange, and Topsham.

To register for the Hanover Special Needs Information Program:

  • Complete the form by visiting https://www.hanovernh.org/hanover-police-department or www.snsc-uv.org;
  • Call the Hanover Police Department at 603-643-2222 and request an officer be dispatched to your residence to assist you in completing the form; or
  • Call the Special Needs Support Center at 603-448-6311 and a team member will help you complete the form over the phone or in the office.

Keys to the Valley Publishes Assessment of Homes

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The Public Health Council serves on the Keys to the Valley Steering Committee to advocate for housing as a public health issue. This newsletter is reposted with permission to spread the news of this tremendous new resource for our community. I hope you find it as helpful as I do. – Alice Ely

Keys to the Valley Publishes Assessment of Homes and Toolbox of Solutions on Interactive Website

We are excited and humbled to announce that the findings and resources from this initiative are now publicly available on the new Keys to the Valley website (www.keystothevalley.com). We are glad to share these resources for your contemplation, conversation, and active use when considering the many challenges facing our region’s homes.

The website includes 4 major sections:

  • Our Housing Challenge: A series of analyses on the current condition and need for homes – from affordability, equity, and impact of the pandemic to demographics, public opinion, and 2030 projections.
  • Toolbox: Strategies and policies to promote safe and affordable homes while strengthening our communities. Organized in six action areas, these tools are intended for a variety of community partners. To support these efforts, resources are provided to advance specific strategies – including those specific to land use regulations, visualizing new homes, housing models, and an open data portal.
  • Library: Definitions of terms and types of homes, suggested resources from other organizations, regional news, and more.
  • Get Involved: View a calendar of events and sign up for updates delivered to your email.

We look forward to discussing and planning together for the homes our region needs in the coming months and years. A sincere thank you to our volunteers, advisors and funders, without whom this initiative would not have been possible!

In a Nutshell

The Keys to the Valley project documents our need for homes across a bi-state, 67-town region, and presents a roadmap for tackling this crisis at the local, regional, and statewide level. The scale of this challenge calls for both immediate action as well as further study and conversations.

During this project, we have come to understand several critical concepts, or what we are calling Key Understandings:

  • First key understanding: Our region’s housing problem is a crisis.
  • Second key understanding: This is not just a private problem with a private solution.
  • Third key understanding: It is a tough problem that requires many different solutions in tandem that are fit to each place and its people.
  • Fourth key understanding: New solutions and approaches are needed.
  • Fifth key understanding: Solving housing needs must also solve other problems.

Chester, VT. Photo by Braxton Freeman.

With these understandings of our housing crisis in mind, our committee has identified a series of actions and related tools to address the challenges facing our region’s homes.

  • Action Area A: Spread knowledge of the region’s housing needs
  • Action Area B: Ensure access to a safe home
  • Action Area C: Sustain existing primary homes
  • Action Area D: Make it easier to build homes
  • Action Area E: Create the types of homes the region needs
  • Action Area F: Build smart for economic health

Join the Conversation – Spring 2021 Public Events

As part of the Initiative’s launch, we will be hosting a series of virtual public presentations and conversations. We hope you will join us!

Building Smart for Stronger Communities

Wednesday, May 5, Noon – 1PM: To address our region’s housing crisis, many new homes are needed. Through thoughtful planning, we can tackle this challenge in a way that strengthens community bonds, bolsters local tax bases, and ensures quality of life for residents. This workshop will cover a variety of planning tools available to communities, including strategies around land use, transportation, infrastructure, and conservation.

Land Use Regulations

Wednesday, May 12, Noon – 130PM: Land use regulations can help our communities provide the homes needed for resident health and economic vitality; however, they can also be barriers to a community’s ability to respond to specific needs and adapt to change. Come learn about how land use regulations impact our region’s homes and strategies to better provide the homes we need now and In the future.

Homes to Get or Stay out of Crisis and Homelessness

Wednesday, May 19, Noon – 1PM: Do we have adequate housing options for our homeless? How can we do better at providing the social supports many need to maintain a stable, safe home? Come learn, share, and hear directly from our region’s social service providers.

Employer Assisted Housing

Wednesday, May 26, Noon – 1PM: A shortage of affordable homes creates many challenges for employers seeking to attract a workforce. Some employers have responded to this challenge by developing new homes themselves or investing in new home creation. Learn about strategies that employers of all sizes have undertaken to address this challenge, and how your business or organization could get involved.

Housing Breakfast

Tuesday, June 11, 730 – 9AM: Are you ready to be part of the effort to improve home availability and affordability? Join residents, employers, officials, and other leaders … Learn about exciting housing approaches being used in the region … Help unveil “Keys to the Valley,” an online information tool for organizing and encouraging dozens of different strategies and tools that will help us meet this regional challenge! (Hosted by Vital Communities)

Event recordings will be made publicly on the Initiative’s YouTube.

Interested? Find out more on our website and Register for those you would like to attend.

Interested in a topic not listed? We are considering additional events for June 2021 and would like your opinion on topics. Please take this quick survey to share your interests with us.

Lead poisons people - especially children

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Web Page Launched

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Did you know it only takes this much lead to poison a child - a pin headThe Public Health Council recently launched a new web page with childhood lead poisoning prevention resources. The page contains information for parents, caregivers, property owners, and landlords. It provides links to the best state, regional, and national resources to learn about childhood lead poisoning prevention.

Lead poisoning is entirely preventable. However, nearly 1 million children living in the United States have blood levels high enough to impair their ability to think, learn, and concentrate. In 2019, 10 children (0 − 72 months old) in the Upper Valley Region of New Hampshire were identified with elevated blood lead levels of 5 ug/dL or higher.

The Public Health Council has conducted childhood lead poisoning prevention in the Upper Valley since September 2019. Then, we hosted an educational session with over 25 local partners. Our efforts are supported by a grant from the NH Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.

Upper Valley Goals

One of our goals has been to expand training and certification opportunities for local homeowners, contractors, landlords, property managers and town building inspectors on lead-safe practices. We trained nearly 30 people in the EPA’s Renovate, Repair, and Paint program. Training was provided by Lead-Edu. We are pleased that online training opportunities will continue to be available to people in our region. Contact Lead-Edu to learn more about their training calendar and programs.

Our second goal was to collaborate with the Mascoma Valley Regional School District (MVRSD). We planned to provide education to the community and school personnel, promote lead screening, and adopt school policy to make identifying children with lead exposure easier. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s impact on our local schools made this a significant challenge at this time. Instead, we shifted gears to provide more community education about childhood lead poisoning prevention

Mascoma Bank sponsored a bank statement stuffer in March 2021 that went out in over 40,000 bank statements. In April, we launched a new website to provide resources and information to community members. Throughout the past 18 months, we have created strong relationships with individuals and organizations interested in continuing to address this complex problem. We expect to pursue additional funding with some of these partners to support more work to protect our region’s vulnerable children.

Please reach out to Alice Ely (alice.ely@uvpublichealth.org) at the Public Health Council is you are interested in joining our Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Working Group.

Upper Valley Medical Reserve Corps Has Been Busy in Vermont

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MRC Volunteer, Alice W., prepares to vaccinate a client in Randolph, VT

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of volunteers, organized into local units to improve the health and safety of their communities, especially in times of natural disasters and other emergencies. The MRC network comprises more than 190,000 volunteers in roughly 800 units located throughout the United States and its territories. Now in its 13th year, the Upper Valley MRC (Unit 1776) is one of only a handful of bi-state units in the U.S. and currently has 156 active members.

MRCs Respond to COVID Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed our volunteers to take a particularly visible and active role in the response to the virus. From April to December 2020, Upper Valley MRC members supported weekly district COVID-19 testing clinics in White River Junction and Springfield (VT) helping to triage clients at the sites, assisting with computer-based intake functions, and even performing tests. Our members contributed more than 1,000 hours of volunteer support in these positions.

Now as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout focuses on the immunization of older adults, Upper Valley MRC clinicians are assisting with vaccine administration and clinic support duties as part of weekly district clinics in White River Junction and Randolph. Below, intake worker and MRC volunteer Jed G. sanitizes clipboards for client use.

Volunteers Value Being of Service

MRC volunteer, Jed G., helps sanitize clip boards to keep clients safe,

Richard W., an MRC member who has helped with triage and intake roles, says this about being compelled to volunteer after reading about the MRC in an area newspaper: “I felt a burning desire to use some of my free time to be of service to our state and community to help in any way that I could. I signed up and the experience has been great, and so rewarding.” With similar sentiments, Deborah P. says she has volunteered at the vaccine clinics “to support my fellow Vermonters and my community.”

Kristin B., a clinician serving as a volunteer vaccinator shares, “It’s a privilege and a joy to be able to do something tangible to overcome the pain and suffering caused by COVID-19 infection. It is so satisfying to meet each patient and now that [once fully vaccinated] they’ll be on the road to protection.”

MRC volunteer, Susan M,, helps register clients for vaccine.

Another clinician, Susan M. who is a retired physician’s assistant, offers that she volunteers with the MRC because, “It feels good to utilize my medical skills and engage with my community in this worthwhile and gratifying way.”

MRC Volunteers Still Needed

There is still a need to grow the Upper Valley MRC’s membership to continue in the COVID-19 response, as well as prepare for future emergencies. To learn more about joining the Upper Valley Medical Reserve Corps, please email uppervalleyMRC@gmail.com. Information is also available on our webpage.

Caregivers May Face Isolation This Winter

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Sunday Seniors: This winter may be tough for caregivers

By Liz Sauchelli
Valley News Staff Writer
Published: 11/14/2020

In the spring and summer, there was a bit of a reprieve. The warmer weather made it easier for many older adults — and their caregivers — to spend time outside and socialize.

But as the temperatures drop, senior service providers worry about the impact of “going into winter, when isolation becomes more acute,” said Alice Ely, director of the Public Council of the Upper Valley. She spoke during the Aging in Community Quarterly Forum & Town Welfare Officers Symposium, which was held via Zoom last Tuesday.

Melissa Grenier, regional manager for New Hampshire with the Alzheimer’s Association, emphasized that isolation impacts caregivers. READ MORE

PHC Hosts Meeting for Aging in Community Groups and Town Welfare Officers

Numerous towns across the Upper Valley host groups of volunteers dedicated to supporting older adults living in their communities. Some of these towns even have Community or Parish Nurses. According to the Upper Valley Community Nursing Project, the goal of community nursing is to “add a health professional to the informal network of volunteers already providing care for elders, and to facilitate the placement of a nurse in a community to address non-acute needs of elders at home.” These community groups host local events to bring people together, such as monthly luncheons, educational events, and social gatherings. They also work hard to connect people to resources available across the region, such as at Senior Centers and the Aging Resource Center at Dartmouth.

The Public Health Council (PHC) has hosted a quarterly forum for these groups for several years now, with the goal of sharing good ideas, learning about new resources, and building a network.

PHC also hosts periodic meetings for the Town Welfare or Service Officers in our towns who carry out a Town’s mission to support residents in their times of need. These Town Welfare and Service Officers may provide temporary assistance to residents. They also connect people with resources available in the region. Because the issue of isolation for older adults, and especially for people living with, or caring for someone with , dementia is pervasive, our recent Forum, Accessing Dementia Friendly Communities Through Understanding, included these Town Welfare and Service Officers, too.

During the coronavirus pandemic, many older adults are heeding the warnings to stay home and avoid gatherings. This is a wise choice on their part, however, it comes at a cost. The lack of social interaction increases the risk of depression. And when we are not being seen by family members, friends, health care providers, changes in our health status may go unnoticed for too long, as a form of self-neglect sets in. The purpose for the November 10th Forum was to explore the impact of dementia and the needs of caregivers, especially during the pandemic. Over 45 people people from our the region joined the conversation and a number of resources were shared. Several of these resources are listed below.

Understanding Dementia and Supporting Caregivers During the Pandemic

 

Alzheimer’s Association

To find your local (state) chapter or find resources: alz.org
24/7 Helpline: 800-272-3900

Aging Resource Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock

For a list of VIRTUAL programs and resources: PROGRAMS
To join the mailing list: SIGN UP  or email AgingCenter@hitchcock.org

Upper Valley Community Nursing Project

To learn more about community and parish nurses — or to find one in your community: uvcnp.org

Senior Centers Adapt to Pandemic

Grafton County Senior Citizens Council
Upper Valley Senior Center (Lebanon)
Mascoma Senior Center
Orford Area Senior Center

Bugbee Senior Center
White River Junction, VT

Thompson Senior Center
Woodstock, VT

Senior Solutions

Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont

Upper Valley Strong Provides List of Resources for Many Needs

Upper Valley Strong Website
Maintaining Older Adult Health
Food Access
Transportation