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SARANAC LAKE — A new website helps people across the North Country find local resources to help them get and stay healthy. Get Healthy North Country — gethealthynoco.org — is administered by the North Country Chronic Disease Prevention Coalition, a network of health care providers, public health agencies and nonprofits working to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and other chronic diseases across northern New York.This region-wide system aims to ensure that there are enough lifesaving programs offered so that anyone interested — or referred — will be able to access them. The Coalition’s new website is a one-stop shop for those looking to enroll in local workshops and wellness programs to help them prevent or better manage diabetes, high blood pressure or other chronic diseases.
“The Coalition is looking for ways to remove obstacles for people trying to take control of their health,” said Ann Morgan, executive director of The Heart Network, which facilitates the Chronic Disease Prevention Coalition. “Too often, we find that individuals miss out on local resources because they’re difficult to find or hard to enroll in — our aim is to make the process as simple as possible. We also recognize that many people in our region don’t have internet access, so we’re using our partnership with NY Connects to make sure people can get assistance enrolling by phone.”
The Get Healthy North Country portal includes basic information about each workshop as well as a one-step enrollment process. Most of the current workshops include six sessions, and feature a mix of web-based, in-person and dial-in options — all free to participants. In addition to Get Healthy North Country, the Chronic Disease Prevention Coalition has established a regional program delivery and referral network through its partnership with NY Connects that helps providers get their patients quick access to evidence-based programs across the North Country.
In 2021, the Coalition grew from Clinton, Essex, and Franklin counties to include health provider organizations, area offices for the aging, and other community-based organizations in Hamilton, Washington, Warren and St. Lawrence counties. This is in addition to several new regional and statewide stakeholders that have taken interest in our work.
“This Coalition will continue to grow its referral network and start taking steps to prepare for contracting with health care payers to support continued delivery of these important programs,” Morgan said.
The Coalition is represented by organizations in five different sectors: primary care systems, behavioral health systems, state and regional stakeholders, technical assistance and public health. For a full list of partners, visit gethealthynoco.org/partners.
To learn more about Get Healthy North Country, visit gethealthynoco.org. For more information or assistance enrolling, please call (800) 342-9871 to get connected to your local NY Connects office.
For more information about the North Country Chronic Disease Coalition, contact Ann Morgan at (518) 891-5855 or [email protected].
NY Connects provides free, unbiased information and assistance to link people to long term services and supports, such as home care, transportation and meals. It serves older individuals and individuals with disabilities of all ages. To learn more, visit nyconnects.ny.gov.
The Heart Network collaborates with health systems and public health agencies across the North Country to design, develop, and implement strategies to decrease the incidence of cardiac disease, stroke, and related chronic disease. We administer three programs to help build foundations for healthy communities: Health Systems for a Tobacco Free North Country, Creating Healthy Schools & Communities, and the North Country Chronic Disease Prevention Coalition. To learn more, visit heartnetwork.org.
Photo at top provided by Chris Morris, Communications Consultant for the North Country Healthy Heart Network
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A minor editing issue: I think you should change “North County Chronic Disease Prevention Coalition” to “North COUNTRY Chronic Disease Prevention Coalition.”
Fixed, thanks for pointing that out!