Newsletter: Issue No. 1 - December 3, 2009
Common Pathways
Working Together Newsletter
December 3, 2009
Dear Greater Worcester residents:
Common Pathways is a five-year-old coalition of residents and organizations working together toward a healthier community for all in Greater Worcester. We proudly present the December 2, 2009 edition of our weekly newsletter, Working Together.
After reviewing significant amounts of data and completing the Worcester Community Indicators Report, we are now focusing on actions that can move forward and improve the status of the identified indicators. With this purpose in mind, Common Pathways has organized all its community partners into 10 Work Groups to plan, implement and evaluate specific initiatives related to the purpose of each group.
These times of difficult financial conditions make it more evident of the need to work together, innovate and maximize our efforts to improve the quality of our community life. Click here to review our Work and Governance Groups and their related activities. Please let us know which are of interest to you.
If you would like to share your Worcester healthy-communities news and information for use in the next edition of Working Together, or if you would like to serve on one of Common Pathways' Work or Governance Groups, please call us at 508-459-9664 or e-mail us at commonpathwaysonline [at] gmail [dot] com.
Sincerely,

Carlton Watson, Chair, Leadership Council
Clara Savage, Project Director
Common Pathways News
Common Pathways Leadership Council’s
Last 2009 Meeting
The Common Pathways Leadership Council will convene for its last meeting of 2009 on December 17 from 7:45 to 9:30 a.m. at the Worcester Division of Public Health at 25 Meade Street. We will be reflecting on Common Pathways' accomplishments through its eight work groups as well as our Neighborhood Outreach Initiative. As we traditionally focus on one particular work group, during this meeting we will be learning about Worcester's housing challenges and current initiatives. We will hear from the City of Worcester, the Homeownership Center, and the Worcester Community Housing Resources, and their initiatives related to foreclosure, receivership and small-loan programs. We will be discussing how housing is affecting the physical and mental health of our community and how it is related to issues of transportation, economic development, education and community engagement as important components of a healthy community. We will together define steps to move forward with the coalition in its entirety as we enter 2010.
Common Pathways Awarded by the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
On behalf of Commissioner Auerbach and the Massachusetts Departmeant of Public Health, it is my pleasure to announce that Common Pathways has received the Outstanding Contribution to Local Community Health Award from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Your work has demonstrated community action based on the ideals of diversity, social justice, health equity and collaboration in promoting public health and healthy communities. Congratulations to all partners of Common Pathways and thank you for the important work you do.
Sincerely,
Cathy O'Connor
Director, Office of Healthy Communities
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Common Pathways Helping to Douse
Secondhand Smoke Effects on Worcester’s Children
According to the National Centers for Disease Control:
Secondhand smoke contains at least 250 known toxic chemicals, including more than 50 that can cause cancer.2 Secondhand smoke causes heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults and a number of health conditions, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and respiratory infections, in children.3
More than 126 million nonsmoking Americans continue to be exposed to secondhand smoke in homes, vehicles, workplaces, and public places. Most exposure to tobacco smoke occurs in homes and workplaces. Almost 60% of U.S. children aged 3–11 years—or almost 22 million children—are exposed to secondhand smoke.3
www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/archive/second-hand-smoke.html
Common Pathways is working with the Harvard School of Public Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on a project called MassCONECT 4Kids Smoke-Free homes. This project is aimed at testing a new model for reducing the amount of secondhand smoke in the home through a process called motivational coaching. Throughout Boston, Lawrence, and Worcester, community-health workers will counsel smokers in their own homes, educating them about the effect on their children and working with them on a plan for making their homes smoke-free. We plan to use the results of this Community-Based Participatory Research project to enlighten local policy and improve smoking-cessation programs within the CHNA 8 region.
Massachusetts Department and Worcester Division
of Public Health Appreciate Residents’ Patience for the Delivery of H1N1 Vaccine
They want you know that:
They are working with the National Centers for Disease Control and state and local partners to increase surveillance activities for possible cases of swine flu in our region.
Each week, more and more vaccines are arriving in Worcester.
People are been vaccinated on a priority basis -- including school-age children and future moms.
Priorities are revised as they receive more vaccines.
We all need to help in been sure that before you are vaccinated, the best way to prevent the flu – both seasonal and H1N1 – is to clean our hands and take precautions.
They encourage you to call either your personal medical provider or the Worcester Division of Public Health for more information, including the availability of flu vaccines. The Worcester DPH number is 508-929-1300.
For the latest information in Massachusetts, please visit Mass DPH H1N1 blog and the H1N1 flu page. For more information on swine flu from the Centers for Disease Control, please visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu.
Para más información en español sobre la gripe porcina, diríjase a www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/espanol.
Broadening Our Outreach Horizons
Don’t Complain, Take Action For a Better Community
By Rachel Federman, a Common Pathways intern
from Worcester’s Dynamy program
I sit on the bench of the sheltered bus stop. I look around, and see a pretty young woman with little children at her side. She looks worried. “Hi. You look sad. What’s wrong?” “Well, it’s the place where my kids play. It is really gross and dirty. I am really afraid they’re gonna get sick or something.” “Have you done anything about it?” I inquire of this concerned mother. “I’ve contacted my landlord, and, when that didn’t do anything, I contacted the City of Worcester. That was a big help,” she said, sarcastically.
“So why don’t you do something about it yourself?” I question. “What do you suggest- Oh, I know,” she says, interrupting herself. “I could clean it myself,” she says, coming to an epiphany. “And I could get my friends to help, cause they have kids that play there too,” she says, smiling. “Thanks.” “No problem,” I answer, getting up to get on my bus.
Common Pathways Interns Report the Local Angle
This summer, Common Pathways worked alongside the Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC) in our Neighborhood Outreach Initiative 2009. WCAC provided Common Pathways two summer interns as part of WCAC's Jobs for Youth Program. We had the pleasure of hosting Rudolpho Matos and Sergio Flores. The interns were attending GED courses as they participated in the rigorous data-collecting work. After successful training and pilot testing, they went out to the community to interview residents about their neighborhood. In a matter of a few interviews, they began to enjoy learning about the residents in their community and the struggles that they face. The questions revolved around health in the community, and centered on physical activity and healthy nutrition. We compiled the responses from the interview questions and realized that Worcester is a memory lane for many residents. They share an enjoyment in reminiscing about their families and childhoods. Although many feel insecure in their neighborhood due to drug abuse and crime, they believe that Worcester could be improved if everyone works on helping one another, like a family. This strategy was a win-win experience for both Common Pathways and our interns. The interns acquired and developed new skills as interviewers, and Common Pathways had the participation of our youth in reaching out to neighborhood residents.
Common Pathways Neighborhood Outreach Project, Summer 2009
This past summer, Common Pathways organized a series of neighborhood conversations in collaboration with its organizational partners in eleven neighborhoods and special-interest groups. The purpose of the conversations was to better understand community-wide perspectives regarding challenges and positive aspects of living in Worcester. We learned from the residents that:
1. City residents overall find Worcester to be a positive place to live.
2. Many struggle to meet basic needs.
3. Some of them are seeking opportunities to feel useful and valued.
4. Many people think that resources are not well-utilized because residents don’t know about them.
5. Adult and senior residents experience a range of chronic health conditions.
6. Residents are aware of the importance of healthy weight, yet face structural barriers to physical activity, such as lack of access to safe places for activity, and to healthy eating such as cost and lack of access. Residents also cite personal factors as barriers to physical activity, such as lack of motivation and lack of social support.
7. Factors that contribute to mental health issues, such as stress, social isolation and feelings of depression are common.
Celebrating Our Partners’ Engagement
On October 14, Common Pathways hosted its Semi-Annual Report to the Community at the YWCA of Central Mass in downtown Worcester. Click here to view photos of the event, in JPEG format. Click here to hear audio of the event, in MP3 format. Click here to read the Program of the Semi-Annual Report, in PDF format. Click here to read Common Pathways' Neighborhood Conversations, in PDF format. Click here to read Common Pathways' Neighborhood Interviews, in PDF format.
The following people and organizations were awarded Certificates of Appreciation for their continued support and contributions to Common Pathways.
Founding Organizational Partners:
▪ American Cancer Society, Melinda Miffitt
▪ Best Rate of Climb, Steve Jones-D’Agostino
▪ Central Massachusetts Area Health Education Center, Joanne Calista
▪ Central Massachusetts Center for Healthy Communities, Vicente Sanabria
▪ City of Worcester, Michael O’Brien
▪ Clark University, John Bassett
▪ Dodi Swope Consultant, Dodi Swope
▪ Family Health Center of Worcester, Frances Anthes
▪ Great Brook Valley Health Center, John Hess
▪ Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Ann Lisi
▪ The Hanover Insurance Group, Fred Eppinger
▪ The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, Jan Yost
▪ Henry Lee Willis Community Center, Carlton Watson
▪ Hoche-Schofield Foundation, Lois Green
▪ MassCONECT at the Harvard School of Public Health, Vish Viswanath
▪ Iglesia Cristiana de la Comunidad, Sarai Rivera
▪ LUK, Inc., Gordon Benson
▪ Massachusetts Audubon Society, Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Deb Cary
▪ Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Healthy Communities, Cathy O’Connor
▪ Oak Hill Community Development Corporation, Mullen Sawyer
▪ Office of Human Rights and Disabilities, City of Worcester, Fran Manocchio
▪ Quinsigamond Community College, Gail Carberry
▪ Saint Vincent Hospital, Dennis Irish
▪ Spectrum Health Systems, Inc., Barbara Grimes-Smith
▪ UMass Memorial Health Care, Monica Escobar Lowell
▪ United Way of Central Massachusetts, Tim Garvin
▪ University of Massachusetts Medical School, Suzanne Cashman
▪ Worcester Department of Public Health, Derek Brindisi
▪ Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, Richard Kennedy
▪ Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bruce Gaultney
Individual and Neighborhood Partners:
▪ Kathy Blumenthal, Great Brook Valley Adolescents Group
▪ Tom Boyle, Yoga Veterans Group
▪ Karen Carreiro, Women Together / Tai Chi Group
▪ Dawn Clark, Persons with Disabilities Group
▪ Judy Diamondstone, Family Health Center / Elm Park School Group
▪ Brenda Jenkins, YMCA Mosaic Foot Soldiers Group
▪ Frank Kartheiser, Worcester Interfaith Group
▪ Judi Kirk, YWCA Grafton Street Neighborhood Group
▪ Stephenie Lemon, UMass Prevention Center
▪ Sharon Lindgren, UMass Memorial Literacy/Nutrition Program at Plumley Village Group
▪ Toni McGuire, Great Brook Valley Iraqi Women Group
▪ Ana Rodriguez, UMass Memorial Bell Hill Neighborhood Seniors Group
▪ Susan Schlotterbeck, Great Brook Valley Bhutanese Group
If you need additional information about any of the above news, please contact CommonPathways at 508-459-9664 or commonpathwaysonline [at] gmail [dot] com.