Read our 2016 Annual Report
A Letter from our Director,
Change. It’s what the North Country Healthy Heart Network inspires and supports every day. We work with communities, organizations and individuals to promote small, sustainable changes: changes that, with time, have the potential to help reduce the incidence of heart disease and other chronic conditions in the region. That’s our mission!
The Heart Network approaches these issues differently. We aren’t the implementers of the changes we encourage. We are the gardeners – planting the seeds, adding water and pulling the weeds. Our work provides the knowledge and support necessary to affect meaningful change. The fruits of our efforts are the stories we hear about how changes our partners made have positively impacted people’s lives. Our annual report features just a few of the dozens of stories that highlight our successes. As you read, imagine just how many lives have been touched as a result!
Think about how many snack-hungry people considered grabbing something nutritious because they saw a Fit Pix display as soon as they walked in the door at one of our Fit Pix convenience stores. Or about how many tobacco users considered quitting because their doctor’s office has a policy that requires their provider to discuss patient tobacco use and offer counseling and/or medication at every visit. Or about how many concerned parents reconsidered allowing their children to walk or ride their bikes to school because their community made street and/or sidewalk changes that make doing so safer.
Many of those thoughts about making a healthier choice were triggered by changes the Heart Network helped to facilitate. Research suggests that with time, these environmental and systems changes will lead to behavior change, which will in turn help us to accomplish our mission. Those results will take time to emerge. In the meantime, we look to the stories for evidence that what we do is having an impact, and I’m proud to report … it is.
Sincerely,
Ann Morgan
Executive Director
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