Health Resource Capacity Assessment for Danielson, Connecticut, June 2003

Danielson Description: Planning Initiatives

There are several on-going collaborations in the area that hold great promise. A regional collaboration between the Northeast District Dept. of Health, Day-Kimball Hospital, Generations Family Health Center and the Northeast Connecticut Council of Governments, was successful in purchasing and operating a mobile dental van for the region that is the only source of dental care for thousands of area children (see Dental). Currently, a broad collaboration led by the Women's Center, the region's rape crisis program located in Willimantic, has been active in developing a local Child Advocacy Center, to address the region's high child sexual abuse rates. Day Kimball Hospital has provided free space at their facility in Danielson for the Center and the state police have provided video equipment. (see Child Abuse). Both of these initiatives are cited by stakeholders, proudly in many circumstances, as examples of the community identifying needs and cooperating to address them. Not only do these planning initiatives hold the potential to address specific issues, but can also form the basis for developing on-going health planning structures, information and resource sharing networks in the area (see Coordination of Efforts).

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