For immediate release

For more information: Helena Peterson, 667-5304 Ext. 232

Ellsworth, June 11, 2001 – Bike paths, safe drinking water, smoking cessation, healthy eating, affordable housing, access to dental care, teen driving – what do you think the issues are in building a healthy community? Coastal Hancock Healthy Communities is looking for participants to share in creating a vision of a healthy Ellsworth. During the summer, volunteers will meet to begin the process of assessing the community for resources and needs.

Helena Peterson has been hired to direct the project. Peterson is an RN with more than twenty years of experience in healthcare management, strategic planning, and program development in the area. She was also instrumental in the community visioning process on Mt. Desert Island that led to the formation of the MDI Community Health Plan. A graduate of the University of Maine, she is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality. She lives on a small farm in Ellsworth with her husband Robert Mealey, and daughter Clare Gannon.

The Healthy Communities concept is based on the successful World Health Organization model that defines health broadly to include physical, social, economic and environmental factors. This community-driven approach includes the linking of existing resources, to create a less fragmented approach to health.

One of the partnership’s tasks will be to develop a coalition in Ellsworth. Peterson recently acted as facilitator at the May 8 visioning forum for the Ellsworth Comprehensive Plan, where 75 people attended to express their vision for Ellsworth’s future. Helena states, "It was exciting to hear so many ideas that represent a healthier Ellsworth. There is a lot of energy in the town, and a desire to coordinate resources. I believe the key to a successful coalition will be getting people to talk to each other and work together – exactly what we were doing at the forum." Helena will be spending time in the community listening to people, and is available to speak to groups about the Healthy Communities project.

Partners in this venture are Downeast Health Services, the Town of Bucksport, Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, and the Hancock Co. Planning Commission. Bucksport already has a thriving Healthy Community Coalition. This group will be assisting in the development of coalitions in Ellsworth and the Schoodic Region. The Coastal Hancock partnership is also working with service sites in the Blue Hill and MDI regions to coordinate county-wide activities through "Healthy Hancock."

Funded by a $314,600 grant from the Bureau of Health’s Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine, the project serves the towns of Bucksport, Orland, Ellsworth, Franklin, Hancock, Sorrento, Sullivan, Gouldsboro, Winter Harbor, Steuben, and northern Hancock County. The partnership will focus on tobacco prevention, nutrition, and physical activity, as well as seeking to develop and support Healthy Community Coalitions in towns and regions of the service area.

Interested residents can contact Peterson at 667-5304, ext. 232 to learn more about Coastal Hancock Healthy Communities, or check the county website at www.healthyhancock.org.

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