Community Benefit Report

At Southern New Hampshire Health System (SNHHS) a higher level of care is more than words. Our people make it happen every day – whether it’s within our hospital walls or beyond in the Greater Nashua community. We are committed to making the greater Nashua area a healthier and safer place to live and work. By addressing community needs and partnering with other health care and human service organizations, we make a difference in people’s lives and build a stronger community.

In 2006 , along with the United Way, St. Joseph Hospital and BAE Systems, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center sponsored Greater Nashua Measures Up: The 2006 Community Assessment. This assessment is the only summary of health and human care needs and assets in the 12-town region served by the United Way of Greater Nashua. Its findings help us to establish programs that best serve the community.

In the 2007 Community Benefit Report, we report how SNHHS’s programs and initiatives helped your friends and neighbors, from the youngest to the oldest members of our community. In this past year, we have worked to address the needs of our whole community by:

• Co-sponsoring, with other area organizations and with the Mexican Consulate in Boston the second annual Bi-National Health Fair in Nashua. With assistance from interpreters when needed, more than 50 participants took part in free cholesterol and blood glucose screenings.
• Providing 2,347 transports to and from non-emergency medical appointments for patients of all ages.
• Providing HEALTHMATCH’s services to help uninsured and underinsured SNHMC Emergency Department patients connect with follow-up care at Nashua Area Health Center.
• Offering free screenings for hearing, blood pressure, balance, oral cancer and skin cancer, to 263 residents and proviiding 120 others Medicare beneficiaries free help with insurance questions and enrollment.
• Conducting free tobacco cessation classes for clients at Harbor Homes in Nashua, which serves people facing mental illness or homelessness.
• Providing 980 community residents with free cholesterol screenings at health fairs or at their places of employment.

These are only a few of the programs and services that SNHHS provides for the community. Our Prescription Assistance Program, services for senior citizens and young families, health initiatives, translation services, and education programs that improve medical access for all and will help keep the community healthy in the future. Such programs, partnerships, and collaborative efforts will continue to be part of our community benefit planning for 2008.

If you have any questions or comments about our community benefit activities, please contact Donna Stone at (603) 577-2196.

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