Goal: Increase mental health (wellness) and substance abuse prevention, awareness and services.

2. Become a Community that Supports Recovery

Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will:

• Assist in recruiting and training at least two recovery coaches
• Provide education/information on the role of recovery coaches in the community
• Collaborate with partners to develop a system for accessing recovery coach services
• Work to expand the number and type of substance abuse and mental health support groups available (and then promote those groups)
• Meet with elected officials and legislators and/or involve them in local events to discuss emerging mental health and substance abuse issues and needed policy changes

In addition to the two formal strategies above, Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will work to address substance abuse and mental health issues in two additional ways:

• Collaborating with community partners to increase access to mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services.
• Regularly scanning for opportunities for routine mental health and substance abuse preventive screenings in primary and tertiary care settings. As opportunities are identified, the hospitals will work with internal partners to make system changes to increase routine screening and referrals.

Goal: Increase access to healthy foods and nutrition education.

Strategies:

1. Access to Healthy Food

Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will:

• Pursue funding to increase access to nutritious foods at school (e.g., farm-to-school)
• Promote access to affordable, healthy food options (e.g., coupons for farmer’s market or grocery stores)
• Contribute to the development of a food access resource (e.g., brochure)

Ascension Sacred Heart will:

• Provide financial contributions to support healthy eating (e.g., for a community garden or electronic benefit transfer (EBT) availability at the farmer’s market)

2. Nutrition Education

Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will:

• Provide education to school administration regarding the benefits of healthy school snacks
• Conduct healthy cooking demonstrations
• Implement healthy nutrition education messages in patient visits (e.g., promoting breastfeeding, 5-2-1-0, fruit and vegetable prescriptions, displays)

3. Policy/System/Environmental Change

Ascension Sacred Heart will:

• Advocate for healthy meetings / snacks policies
• Support day care sites and pre-schools in improved nutrition (e.g., 5-2-1-0 program)

Goal: Increase mental health (wellness) and substance abuse prevention, awareness and services.

2. Become a Community that Supports Recovery

Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will:

• Assist in recruiting and training at least two recovery coaches
• Provide education/information on the role of recovery coaches in the community
• Collaborate with partners to develop a system for accessing recovery coach services
• Work to expand the number and type of substance abuse and mental health support groups available (and then promote those groups)
• Meet with elected officials and legislators and/or involve them in local events to discuss emerging mental health and substance abuse issues and needed policy changes

In addition to the two formal strategies above, Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will work to address substance abuse and mental health issues in two additional ways:

• Collaborating with community partners to increase access to mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services.
• Regularly scanning for opportunities for routine mental health and substance abuse preventive screenings in primary and tertiary care settings. As opportunities are identified, the hospitals will work with internal partners to make system changes to increase routine screening and referrals.

Goal: Increase mental health (wellness) and substance abuse prevention, awareness and services.

Strategies:

1. Increase Preventative Education and Outreach that Strengthens Families, Builds Coping Skills and Increases Resiliency

Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will:

• Implement public awareness campaigns (e.g., Hopeline, parent tips, kNOw Meth, adverse childhood experiences [ACEs])
• Provide community presentations, town hall events and summits about mental health and substance abuse, as well as distribute posters, cards, and related visual materials
• Provide evidence-based trainings to increase skills of residents, coalition members and professionals (e.g., QPR, Mental Health First Aid, Memphis Crisis Intervention Team [CIT] training)
• Provide school administrators and counselors with evidence-based strategies and resources to support preventative education related to mental health and substance abuse
• Explore opportunities to educate school boards on the community needs and efforts of the coalition

2. Become a Community that Supports Recovery

Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will:

• Assist in recruiting and training at least two recovery coaches
• Provide education/information on the role of recovery coaches in the community
• Collaborate with partners to develop a system for accessing recovery coach services
• Work to expand the number and type of substance abuse and mental health support groups available (and then promote those groups)
• Meet with elected officials and legislators and/or involve them in local events to discuss emerging mental health and substance abuse issues and needed policy changes

In addition to the two formal strategies above, Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will work to address substance abuse and mental health issues in two additional ways:

• Collaborating with community partners to increase access to mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services.
• Regularly scanning for opportunities for routine mental health and substance abuse preventive screenings in primary and tertiary care settings. As opportunities are identified, the hospitals will work with internal partners to make system changes to increase routine screening and referrals.

Oral Health

Goal: Increase good oral healthcare practices and access to oral health services.

Strategies:

1. Increase access to oral health services

Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will:

• Increase the accessibility of dental care in Merrill and Tomahawk (e.g., address barriers of time and fear, consider expanded service hours)
• Update and distribute a guide for oral/dental health resources that are available in Lincoln County
• Continue/expand dental Seal-a-Smile program to Lincoln County Elementary and Middle Schools through financial contributions

2. Increase oral health awareness and education

Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension Good Samaritan will:

• Continue oral health education campaigns for Lincoln County school-age children (example: Sugar Out Day)
• Continue an oral health education campaign for adults in the community
• Utilize oral health displays to promote good oral hygiene at community events/organizations/worksites (example: at cooking demonstrations)
• Provide oral health information (e.g., displays) in clinical settings