The Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership was organized in 1992 to create fundamental changes in the delivery of health services in Murray and Whitfield Counties.  Based upon a collaborative effort between providers of healthcare, business and industry, local government, educators, and public health, the project has benefited from a strong commitment by the community to improve the overall health status while controlling costs, improving accessibility and assuring high quality care.
    Resources to initiate the project were supplied primarily by the Hamilton Medical Center with additional funding from the Georgia Hospital Association.  Acting as a catalyst for the project, these two organizations supported the initial planning and development.  Other organizations and individuals contributed their time, expertise, and facilities to the project.
    By 1994, the Partnership was poised to move forward with the planning and implementation of a number of short- and long-term projects.  With this, it became extremely important that a full-time Executive Director be recruited to manage and administer the daily operations of the project.  Nancy Kennedy became the Partnership's first Executive Director and is currently serving in that position.

Accomplishments
THE FIRST DECADE:
From 1992-2002, working with the community, the Partnership accomplished the following:

• Provided Growing Healthy teaching materials for all elementary schools in Murray and Whitfield Counties
• Initiated school nurse program with two nurses
• Implemented Working Well program serving six employers with ~3,000 employees
• 1 of 25 sites nationally selected to participate in Phase I of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation funded program, the Community Care Network (CCN) Demonstration Program
• Provided Student Assistance Program training for teachers and guidance counselors at Murray County Schools
• Funded three nurse practitioner scholarships
• 1 of 8 sites nationally selected to participate in Phase II of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation funded program, the CCN Program
• Representation at CCN National Conferences by David Pennington, Kal Kelehear, Paul Bradley, M.D., Frank Thomason, Mike Cowan, Charles Allgood, Larry Winter, Kate Russell and Nancy Kennedy
• Sponsors largest “road race” in Dalton; in 7 years, the Healthcare Classic revenue has increased from breakeven to $32,000
• Provided training at Friendship House, Dalton-Whitfield Daycare and Dalton Preschool for staff and parents through Kids Health Bridge
• Assisted Valdosta, Milledgeville and Augusta in development of their Healthcare Partnerships
• Pilot site for Georgia Health Decision’s CRITICAL Conditions program and continued momentum after pilot project ended
• Activated 270 community volunteers to learn and practice the 40 Development Assets of Healthy Communities - Healthy Youth
• 1 of 5 sites nationally selected to participate in year one of the National Center for Health Education’s program through the CDC
• Provided forum and facilitation for ~150 citizens to discuss the health care delivery and financing system in our community
• Enhancement of dental services and primary and specialty care through the Volunteers in Medicine program at the Health Department
• Facilitated the development of the Boys & Girls Club of Dalton-Whitfield County
• Development of the Partnership’s website, www.nwgahealthpartners.org.
• Supplied “Talking about Touching” curriculum for Dalton Public Schools
• Participation in the Management Academy for Public Health at the University of North Carolina resulting in health care services for Hispanics at the International Inclusion Center
• Facilitation of ongoing meetings of physicians and employers discussing ways to improve our local health care delivery system
• Fostering the growth of the Volunteers in Medicine program by developing a successful grant application resulting in $198,589 to provide support staff for the Volunteers in Medicine and Murray County Health Department’s primary care clinic, the RN for the International Inclusion Center, and transportation vouchers for the Murray and Whitfield County Health Departments
• Joined Healthcare 21 Business Coalition resulting in the “2002 Guide to More Informed Hospital Care for the Atlanta, Northwest Georgia, Chattanooga and Cleveland Areas”
• Commissioned Mercer University School of Medicine to prepare community health profiles for Murray and Whitfield Counties

BEGINNING THE SECOND DECADE:
In 2003-2009, working with the community, the Partnership accomplished the following:

• Fostered the growth/sustainability of Volunteers in Medicine & Dentistry and MedBank (2003-05)
• Successful nominations for Healthcare Georgia Foundation’s Community Service Award:  Jim Hazel (2003) and Dr. Nelson Conger (2006)
• Initiated the Promotora de Salud (community health worker) program, bringing people into care and increasing their education on health issues (2004)
• Over 2,000 8th graders participated in “Straight Talk”-a daylong forum kicked off by Hyrum Smith of Franklin Covey Co.; included an evening session with ~500 attending (2004)
• Senior Services Directory:  published and distributed 5,000 copies (2004 edition), 10,000 (2006 edition) and 12,000 (2008 edition)
• “Spotting & Responding to Elder Abuse” seminar with ~150 attending (2005)
• Healthy Solutions Workshop (80 participants)–how businesses can control health care costs (2005)
• Provided annual editions of Consumer Guide for Hospitals through membership in the HealthCare 21 Business Coalition (2003-06)
• CRITICAL Conditions workshops continue with ~4,500 planning guides distributed; Mohawk purchased 10,000 guides and Hamilton Health Care System purchased 3,000
• Selected by Georgia Health Policy Center to be one of four communities in the state to develop a plan for affordable health access for the uninsured (2004)
• Workshop assisting ~300 seniors to determine the ‘right’ Medicare Part D plan (2006)
• Established outcome projections to show the benefit of promoting good health - ROI of 15:1 (2005), ROI of 48:1 (2006), ROI of 9.8:1 (2007), ROI of 11:1 (2008) and ROI of 12.6:1 (2009)
• One of ten sites nationally selected for the Diabetes Ten City Challenge™ (2006)
• Health education fairs for 2,000+ 2nd graders; emphasis on obesity (2006); Shaw’s Six Sigma program providing expertise in evaluating BMI yearly for these students (2006-08)
• One of ten Georgia sites selected to participate in Healthcare Georgia Foundation’s Childhood Physical Activity and Nutrition (CPAN) program; awarded $150,000 (2006-08)
• One of 40 selected to participate in GA Center for Nonprofit’s CEO Central 100 program (2006-07)
• Healthcare Classic permanently renamed The Bill Gregory Healthcare Classic; another record-breaking participation of 6,066 (2009)
• Provided technical assistance to Murray Medical Center in their successful pursuit of a Federally Qualified Health Center (2007)
• Organizational Assessment conducted by Georgia Center for Nonprofits (2007)
• One of 40 nationally selected to participate in “Advancing Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Dialogue” – to influence state and national dialogue around health reform (2008)
• Kennedy was facilitator in CDC’s Leaders to Leaders Conference – “Shaping Policy for a Healthier Nation, Washington DC (2008)
• Completed six-month strategic planning process (2008)
• Received grant award notification of $58,600 from Georgia ARC (2008)
• Dr. Robin Cleeland of Dalton State College awarded Faculty Enrichment Award; conducted successful community-based participatory research project relating to what it will take to get blue collar workers to be more physically active (2008)
• An outcome of Dr. Marty Michael’s presentation to our board relating to uninsured children who could be eligible for PeachCare or Medicaid was the creation of a new position, child health advocate (2008)
• Implemented community TWO Million Mile Challenge (2009)
• Child health advocate successfully enrolled 362 children in Medicaid/PeachCare (2009)
• Promotores de Salud conducted three-day training for Manning, SC team starting promotora initiative (2009)