Health Resources
Please also visit the resource areas at the websites of organizations listed on this page for additional resources on health.
In the News
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- Report: Vermont kids leading healthier lives
- Last year Canada's Heart and Stroke Foundation released evidence that clearly showed that car-dependent Canadians get far less physical activity and are at greater risk of being overweight or obese.
- Density is key to getting people to exercise more
- Last year Canada's Heart and Stroke Foundation released evidence that clearly showed that car-dependent Canadians get far less physical activity and are at greater risk of being overweight or obese.
- Free healthy snacks to be handed out at some Connecticut schools
- Fresh fruits and vegetables soon will be handed out as free snacks to children in 25 Connecticut schools and child-care centers, under new federal grants that are part of the National School Lunch Act,
- Urban sprawl adds pounds, pollution
- Two studies summarized in the Journal of the American Planning Association find that residents of King County's less-walkable neighborhoods are more likely to be overweight and generate more automobile-related pollution.
- The New England Council’s Analysis of the President’s FY 2007 Budget
- A targeted analysis of the President’s proposed a $2.7 trillion FY 2007 budget examines programs of importance to the New England region, including Health Information Technology (HIT).
- Rhode Island Gov. Announces Health IT Initiative
- Plan will establish a $20 million bond to create a health information network that will create a real-time and more accurate system of care for patients.
- Griffin Hospital Ranked 4th on 2006 FORTUNE List
- FORTUNE magazine has ranked Griffin Hospital fourth on its 2006 “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. It is the highest ranking ever achieved by a hospital.
- Doctors moving toward paperless practices
- Momentum for change to electronic medical records is building in Vermont, thanks to improved software and pressure from federal and state government.
- Imagine: No more written prescriptions, waiting for records
- Vermont's Mount Ascutney Hospital and Health Center and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire test using electronic medical records.
- New NGA Chairman Aims for a Healthy America
- Arkansas Governor Huckabee, the new Chairman of the National Governors Association, has launched an initiative, Healthy America: Wellness Where We Live, Work and Learn, focused on making Americans healthier.
- Small Connecticut Hospital Leads a Health Care Revolution
- Reports on invigorating changes in a New England hopsital.
Reports
- Advanced Technologies to Lower Health Care Costs and Improve Quality Fall 2003
- There exist advanced technologies which can dramatically lower health care costs and improve quality. This report focuses specifically on a set of seven advanced technologies that have demonstrated substantial net financial benefits and improved quality of care and health outcomes.
- Boston Indicators Project
- The Boston Indicators Project, coordinated by The Boston Foundation in partnership with the City of Boston/Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, offers a wide variety of resources on public health in Boston and the greater New England region.
- Maine Health Management Coalition Consumer Study
- Members of the Maine Health Management Coalition have recently completed one of the largest studies of working people’s attitudes and activities regarding healthcare quality. The survey of over 3,400 employees and dependents asked questions about how employees interact with healthcare providers; how they make decisions about their healthcare; and how they use healthcare quality information to improve the healthcare they receive.ving the quality and value in the health care services.
- Health Information Technology Resources
- Although experts say greater use of information technology (IT) could greatly improve U.S. health care, physicians have been slow to adopt IT, citing costs and a lack of standards and time. A list of publications that look at issues related to this broader adoption of health care IT are compited by The Commonwealth Foundation.
- Healthy America: Wellness Where We Live, Work, and Learn
- Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, the new Chairman of the National Governors Association, has launched a national initiative with his mission to build a culture of physical activity, prevention and wellness in the United States. Publications on how to create healthy states by building healthier communities, work and schools are available at the site.
- Healthy Vermonters 2010
- Healthy Vermonters 2010 study identifies health priorities for Vermont; measure where we are today compared to where we want to be; measures where we are compared to the nation; builds on the success of Healthy Vermonters 2000; emphasizes prevention; and encourages Vermonters to take an active role in improving their health.
- On the Critical List: Health Care Job Vitality in New England January 2004
- While New England has a long tradition of national prominence in health care and related fields, the region’s ability to deliver future growth is in question. NEHI and the Milken Institute have undertaken this additional analysis to identify specifically which occupations have been growing and declining in the region.
- Overdosed America 2004
- John Abramson, M.D., an award-winning family doctor on the clinical faculty at Harvard Medical School, reveals, in the same clear language that he used with his patients, how the corporate takeover of clinical research and medical practice is compromising Americans' health.
- Spotlight on Health Information Technology October 2005
- Highlights several unique initiatives underway in New England pioneering the expanded use of health information technology. At the core, the programs share common goals of improving health care and enhancing efficiency and coordination of care.
Organizations
- American College of Physicians
- The American College of Physicians (ACP) is the nation's largest medical specialty society. Its mission is to enhance the quality and effectiveness of health care by fostering excellence and professionalism in the practice of medicine.
- Connecting for Health
- This public-private collaborative of more than 100 organizations is committed to enabling health professionals and patients to use information technology, so that they can achieve the best care possible in emergency and routine situations, as well as in managing chronic illness.
- The Commonwealth Fund
- The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, minority Americans, young children, and elderly adults.
- Departments of Health
- Links to state health agencies:
- The Foundation for Healthy Communities
- The Foundation for Healthy Communities is a nonprofit corporation that exists to improve health and health care, and includes New Hampshire hospitals, health plans, clinicians, home care agencies and public policy leaders. It was founded in 1968 by the New Hampshire Hospital Association as an educational and research organization for hospitals.
- Maine Health Management Coalition
- The Maine Health Management Coalition is a non-profit coalition of 34 employers, including doctors, hospitals, insurers, and public and private employers. MHMC is committed to addressing the crisis of healthcare costs by improving the quality and value in the health care services.
- Maine Health Information Center (MHIC)
- The Maine Health Information Center (MHIC) is an independent, nonprofit organization incorporated in 1976 and governed by a Board of Directors representing a broad range of organizations and individuals. The Board is dedicated to the belief that Maine and other Northern New England states benefits from a strong, stable source of health data.
- Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative
- The Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative was formed in 2004 as an initiative of the physician community to bring together the state's major health care stakeholders for the purpose of establishing an electronic health records (EHR) system that would enhance the quality, efficiency and safety of care in Massachusetts.
- Massachusetts Health Quality Partners
- The Massachusetts Health Quality Partners is a broad-based coalition of physicians, hospitals, health plans, purchasers, consumers, and government agencies working together to promote improvement in the quality of health care services in Massachusetts.
- New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI)
- In 2002, a group of leaders representing all sectors of the New England health care community joined forces to create a unique organization called the New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI), which is located in Cambridge, MA. NEHI aims at developing practical solutions to the health care crisis by harnessing the collective commitment of the health care community and the regional resources of New England.
- Planetree
- Planetree is a non-profit membership organization working with hospitals and health centers to develop and implement patient-centered care in healing environments.
- Rhode Island Quality Institute
- The Rhode Island Quality Institute is an organization dedicated to improving health care quality in the State of Rhode Island by applying sound operational and technological approaches to the system of care statewide. The Quality Institute’s three major areas of emphasis are Safety Improvement, Technology Infrastructure Improvement and Evidence-Based Medicine (Matching Care to Science).
- Vermont Information Technology Leaders
- The Vermont Information Technology Leaders (a.k.a. VITL) is a multi-stakeholder corporation formed by the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (VAHHS) and a broad base of providers, payors, employers, patients, state agencies, information technology vendors and other business leaders.