About Us


	Community Health Trust Celebration Luncheon Pictured left to right: Timothy Patschke, Co-Chair, Community Health Trust; Robert Calabrese, former Co-Chair, Community Health Trust; Sister Catherine Marie Belongia, Executive Vice President, Sponsorship/Spiritual Services; Donald Costanzo, new Co-Chair Community Health Trust; Kevin Slavin, Executive Vice President, CEO. Luncheon held at Saint Francis honoring Robert Calabrese, former Co-Chair of the Community Health Trust and welcoming Donald Costanzo, new Co-Chair.

Results of Our Partnership

Launched in November 1994, with the guidance of Leland Kaiser, Ph.D. and Leanne Kaiser Carlson, the Community Health Trust started with 50 members who envisioned the future of a world-class healthy community. Since then, it has conducted the most comprehensive health status assessment ever undertaken in New Jersey and has become a model around the country for creating healthy communities.

Today, the partnership includes 150 leaders from organizations that represent a broad cross-section of Morris and Sussex counties. The Trust has initiated action in thirteen pilot communities, produced outcomes and sustained momentum in five key initiatives--heart disease and stroke prevention, cancer prevention, creation of a tobacco free environment, substance abuse prevention and teen and youth development.

The model for implementation is called the Community Partnership Action Model with the local public health department serving as the entry point since public health officers know the needs of their communities best. The Trust works collaboratively with them to reach out to corporations, schools, congregations, community agencies, providers and special at-risk populations.

The Trust also has invested in the future by giving its members the skills to take back to their communities. At bimonthly Council meetings, nationally known speakers have explored topics such as the national healthy communities movement, facilitation and

collaborative problem solving, social marketing cultural diversity, inspiration and motivation, outcomes measurement, evaluation methods and systems thinking.

Over the last three years, the partners have taken the term "community' very seriously. The Trust has gathered in over 40 community locations to see what Morris and Sussex counties have to offer. Speakers have been brought in from other communities, and Trust members have participated in healthy community conferences.

Our hard work has been rewarded with sustainable community change as well as local, state and national recognition: The Healthcare Forum journal, the American Hospital Association, Catholic Health World, The Healthcare Forums Creating Healthier Communities Fellowship Program and the New Jersey General Assembly and Senate.

Organizations that finance new projects and look to channel scarce community resources have contributed thousands of dollars to Trust activities each year, including Saint Clare's Medical Center, Merck & Co. Inc., the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs through the Dover Strategic Neighborhood Assistance Program (SNAP) and various community-based fundraising events.

Collaboration with other community coalitions such as the United Way of Morris County and Morris 2000 is expected to continue and greatly expand as we look toward broader efforts in overall quality of life initiatives.