VAC AGENCY LOGIN
HEALTH
Our Partners
Avis Goodwin Community Health Center
City of Dover
COAST
Community Partners
Farmington Community Preservation Guild
Homemakers Health Services
Lamprey Health Care
McConnell Center
Northern Strafford County Health and Safety Council
Rockingham Regional Planning Commission
Rockingham County Community Resource Network
Seacoast Mental Health Center
Strafford Community Action Program
Strafford Network
Strafford Planning Commission
Transportation Assistance for Seacoast Citizens (TASC)
Transportation
Many of us take for granted the independence that being able to drive provides. Simple everyday tasks such as grocery shopping, getting a haircut, keeping a medical appointment, or meeting a friend at a restaurant for lunch become a challenge.
Yet for many area residents, alternatives to driving can be inconvenient or nonexistent. For older adults, transportation can mean the difference between being able to live independently and entering long-term care.
United Way is working with several regional partners to address the need for transportation alternatives that will grow significantly as baby boomers age. As a first step, we brought together dozens of community organizations with their own transportation programs to create an efficient, cost-effective system to share vehicles and resources. This regional coalition recently received a grant of $110,000 for the first year to begin implementing this new coordinated dispatch program.
Did you know...
- Only 34 of more than 250 New Hampshire communities are served by public transportation.
- Here in the Seacoast region, 51% of older adults who need assistance with daily living require transportation to access needed medical care.
- Between 2005-2015, the over 65 population in the Seacoast region is projected to grow 62%, compared to total estimated population growth of 11%.
Healthcare
Our Partners
Alliance for Community Health
Avis Goodwin Community Health Center
Bi-State Primary Care Association
Community Partners
Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce
Endowment for Health
Families First Health & Support Center
Lamprey Healthcare
McLean/Stevens Law Firm
Northern Strafford County Health & Safety Council
NH Citizen's Alliance
NH Dept. of Health and Human Services
NH State Representative
SeaCare Health Services
Seacoast Mental Health Center
Southern Strafford County Public Health Network
Portsmouth Area Public Health Network
When costs for regular medical check ups and annual screenings such as mammograms that could find potential problems early must be paid out of pocket, preventative care expenses can be beyond the monthly budget. In fact seeking any healthcare may be put off until the situation is an emergency, which results in much higher costs for all of us.
United Way of the Greater Seacoast is working with our partners to find new ways to increase access to healthcare for all of us. United Way brought together key stakeholders in Strafford County who are working together to create a program that provides healthcare services donated by a network of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to uninsured individuals and families. While in Rockingham County, our investment led to an innovative program that integrates mental health services with primary care at a low-cost community health center.
These regional efforts will greatly expand access to low or no-cost preventative healthcare and greater piece of mind for uninsured and underinsured people.
Did you know...
- Approximately 60% of adults who are uninsured work full-time for employers that provide no medical benefits or health insurance offered at rates so high they cannot afford it.
- Debt incurred from medical expenses is one of the top reasons why individuals file for bankruptcy.
- In 2005, health insurance premiums for families in New Hampshire cost nearly an additional $1,000 per year to cover medical costs for patients without insurance.
Substance Abuse
Our Partners
Child and Family Services
Community Coalition on Drug & Alcohol Use
Dover High School
Dover Middle School
Dover Police Coalition for Youth
Families First Health & Support Center
Hampton Community Coalition
New Futures Adolescent Initiative
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation-Piscataqua Region
New Heights
New Outlook Teen Center
NH Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy
NH State Representative
Northern Strafford County Health & Safety Council
Odyssey NH
Oyster River Community for Health Youth
Rockingham County Law Enforcement/Corrections
Rockingham County Liquor Commission
Rochester School Department
Seacoast Safety Net
St. Thomas Acquinas High School
Southeastern NH Drug & Alcohol Services
The Community Diversion Program
The HUB Family Resource Center
Research has shown that young people who drink before age 14 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence in their lifetime than individuals who start drinking at age 21.
Underage substance abuse has far-reaching community costs due to increased number of traffic accidents, increased rates in violent crime, vandalism, and untimely and unintentional deaths that rob our young people of their futures.
Last year, United Way brought together two regional coalitions with representatives from local schools, law enforcement and substance abuse treatment programs. Today, these partners are working together to implement an innovative substance abuse prevention program using $1.3 million in recently awarded federal funds. The program aims to reduce the percentage of youth ages 12-17 who report the use of alcohol within the past 30 days and increase the age of first use of alcohol.
Did you know...
- Among high school students in our region, 30% reported that they binge drank during the past thirty days.