Herc
Community Partnership for Teen Health
Harrington Memorial Hospital
100 South Street
Southbridge, MA 01550
As a member of the Community Partnership for Teen Health it is important to know the history of the organization, its accomplishments, goals and future endeavors. The Partnership developed in response to the 1999 Harrington Memorial Hospital community needs assessment, which indicated a high incidence of teen pregnancy in Southbridge.
Original Name: Partnership for Teen Health
Inception Date: February 2000
Founding Members: Community members, health/school educators, health care providers, physicians, social service agencies, prevention specialists.
Supporting Agencies/Programs: Harrington Memorial Hospital (HMH), Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC) Head Start/Early Head Start/Family Childcare, Southbridge Community Connections (SCC), Southbridge School System, Pregnant and Parenting Teen Program (PPT), Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program (WIC), New Hope, Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), Central MA Center for Healthy Communities, Healthy Families, Kennedy Donovan, Health Awareness Services.
Accomplishments:
- The creation of an ongoing collaboration between the public school system and community providers.
- Serves as a local community networking agency for programs offering service to teens
- Development and distribution of Teen help card to schools and community health providers.
- Hosted a Legislative Breakfast to promote awareness of teen pregnancy issues.
- Acted as a catalyst agent for:
- South Worcester County Oral Health Initiative (SWCOHI)
- South Worcester County Transportation Solutions
- 21st Century Project Success After School Programs Coalition
Future Goals/Objectives:
- Increase community awareness regarding teen health issues
- Increase number of community volunteers
- Sponsor a variety of trainings for community members and professionals
- Expand general membership to include other groups (youth, civic, faith-based)