There are several factors that have helped with the success of this long-running collaborative group. One of the assets of the Healthier Greater New Haven Partnership is the regularly scheduled monthly meetings with the decision makers of our partner organizations at the table. This regular interaction, around a shared mission, helps keep the work of the workgroups as a top priority of each organization involved. In order to keep this group active for so many years, we have found that these regular monthly meetings help to keep all of our partners engaged in the work.

The monthly Healthier Greater New Haven Partnership meetings are also a way for organizations to share resources and connections which is seen as a valuable resource and a reason to stay involved. In a time where many organizations are facing budget constraints, the sharing of resources is now more important than ever.  Another asset to the structure of Healthier Greater New Haven Partnership is that our mission is directly tied to the community health needs assessment process that hospitals, health departments and federally qualified health centers are required to complete. This helps all partners feel they have stake in the work being done and keeps them engaged year after year.

Another key component of the success of Healthier Greater New Haven Partnership has been its backbone organization, Yale New Haven Hospital.  The hospital dedicates staff time to the work of the Healthier Greater New Haven Partnership, the workgroups and the community health needs assessment process. In addition, Yale New Haven Hospital has staff from its Community Health Improvement Department that help support each of the workgroups and play a key role in helping each group actively track progress towards their community health improvement / implementation strategy goals.