History

The Bergen County Department of Health Services established the Bergen County Partnership for Community Health (BCPCH) in 1994. The Bergen County Partnership for Community Health has been a coalition of citizens willing to give their time and energy to create a healthier community. Through a shared interest in improving the quality of life for all residents, the County of Bergen and the six local hospitals have supported the Bergen County Partnership both with financial and in-kind donations. More than 100 organizations and hundreds of individuals interested in working together on health priorities issues in Bergen County have participated in the Partnership since its inception.

Under the auspices of the BCPCH, the Partnership has worked to achieve the goals and objectives of the national Healthy People 2000/2010 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention campaign in Bergen County through the use of the Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities model. This model promotes a concept of health that recognizes that people's health and quality of life are dependent on many community systems and factors -- not simply a well-functioning health and medical care system. (www.healthycommunities.org). The purpose of a health partnership is to assess the health needs of a community, prioritize them, develop an action plan, implement the plan, evaluate outcomes and then begin the process again.

Partnerships provide the ability to combine the perspectives, resources, knowledge, and skills of a group of people and organizations in a way that enables the partnership to think in new and better ways about how it can achieve its goals; plan more comprehensive, integrated programs; and strengthen its relationship to the broader community.

The Bergen County Partnership for Community Health became incorporated as a nonprofit organization on September 30, 2002. In February 2003, new local health department regulations, called Practice Standards, were promulgated by the New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services and included a requirement that health departments facilitate partnerships to enhance their work of assuring, assessing and evaluating the health of a community. Thus, if the Partnership for Community Health did not already exist, the Bergen County Department of Health Services would be required to form such a coalition. (New Jersey State Register, February 2003)

The Assessment Phase of the Partnership was implemented in 1995. An Initiating Committee to represent a broad base of community stakeholders and to guide the initial phases of the planning process was convened. A community health assessment process was begun to identify community health issues. Residents’ perceptions of the health status of the community wee solicited through stakeholder forums and community resident focus groups.

In1996, the Bergen County Department of Health Services Partnership for Community Health brought 120 key stakeholders in Bergen County together for a full day at The Executive Conference on Partnerships and Strategic Alliances (Appendix A) to share their vision of a healthier Bergen County. Also that year, the first countywide health assessment, The 1996 Bergen County Health Status Report was published. This report identified the health priority issues for Bergen County residents, including statement of the problem, the indicators to be used in measuring accomplishments, and recommended actions. Additionally, the first grant supported by the Partnership, the Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program, was awarded.

Moving into the Planning Phase, four working groups were established in 1997 to address the health issues prioritized in the 1996 Health Status Report. The four working groups, Addictions Prevention, Health Information, Health Promotion and Youth and Family Issues, began meeting regularly to develop strategies in response to the identified health needs. The Partnership also received a Merit Award from the National Association of State and Local Health Officials in recognition of a community coalition for public health during this year.
In 1998, the Partnership produced the Bergen County Community Health Action Guide (Appendix B), designed as a disease prevention and health promotion action document for residents and organizations to refer to in their planning. Two more grant applications supported by the Partnership were awarded as well, the Winning Choices Program and the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Health Lifestyles Program.

The Bergen County Partnership embarked upon its Action Phase in 1999. The coalition reconfigured into goal teams organized around the seven community health goals that had been identified in the Action Guide. During this year the members of the newly formed goal teams began to plan strategies to achieve their respective team’s goals and objectives. Also in 1999, the Partnership Information Kit (Appendix H), was created as a marketing tool, and a total of 11 cable TV shows on the Partnership were produced (videotapes available upon request). Finally, a fourth grant, to purchase materials for Anti-Aggressive Driving Education Kits, was awarded with Partnership support.