Catalyzing the integration of New Hampshire's public health and medical care systems to promote and protect community health

Integrating the work of public health and medical care practitioners to improve community health represents a strategic imperative advocated for by numerous national health policy reports (such as the National Prevention Guidelines) and is imbedded throughout the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Aligning the efforts of the public health and medical care disciplines requires addressing language and perspective differences, relationship building challenges, and the lack of infrastructure to support collective action. In 2010 the New Hampshire (NH) Citizens Health Initiative's Health Promotion Disease Prevention (HPDP) Workgroup, a multi-stakeholder effort to decrease the root causes of death and disability in NH, released a strategic plan to integrate the work of NH's public health and medical care systems to promote and protect the health of NH citizens. To advance plan recommendations, the HPDP developed a workplan with four objectives to catalyze integrated approaches to reducing tobacco use in NH, an identified state health priority. Objectives include: 1) building knowledge and skills required for integration, 2) catalyzing integrated, evidence-based interventions, 3) promoting integration best practices, and 4) securing resources to sustain integration work. This presentation will highlight and share: 1) workplan activities and tools initiated to foster integration approaches to tobacco use reduction (for example, a short primer for clinicians demonstrating the concept and value of integration) and 2) challenges and successes that may guide participants in their own integration efforts to improve both individual and community health.