Health Resource Capacity Assessment for Putnam, Connecticut, May 2001

Putnam Description: History of Planning Initiatives

There is a remarkable spirit of cooperation among local institutions. As an example, leaders of several local institutions recognized that access to dental care is a serious problem in the region (see Dental Care section), further complicated by transportation issues common to rural areas. To address the problem, four community organizations are collaborating on a project to acquire and operate a dental van for the area. Day Kimball Hospital accessed state funding to purchase the van; Generations Family Health Center, the local federally qualified health center, will staff the van; the Northeast Connecticut Council of Governments, through their transit district, will garage and maintain the van; and the Northeast District Department of Health will provide scheduling and educational support for the program. Putnam residents appear to expect this level of cooperation from their community leaders, and seem surprised that it is not more common elsewhere. ¹⁸

A previous planning initiative to address teen pregnancy, while very productive and cooperative, did not receive funding to implement the resulting recommendations. ¹⁹  Another planning initiative to coordinate human service delivery in the region was not successful for a variety of reasons related to the timing of the proposal. ²⁰ In response to reductions in ridership and complaints from towns, the transit district run by the North East Connecticut Council of Governments (NECCOG) undertook a successful reorganization and restored community support. ²¹

Footnotes

18. Key stakeholder interviews.
19. Plainfield-Killingly Teen Pregnancy Prevention Planning Strategy, July 1998; Windham Teen Pregnancy Prevention Planning Initiative Strategic Plan, June 22, 1998.
20. "An Initiative to Better Address the Human Service Needs of Northeastern Connecticut", NECCOG, 4/9/96.
21. Interviews