Causes: General Hospitals, Health

Mission: The mission of the herkimer county healthnet is to improve the health and well-being of individuals who live, work, play, and learn in herkimer county. Hchn's activities include the provision of comprehensive health care services to improve the health of the communities and residents of herkimer county through coordinated services, shared resources and education of consumers and providers.

Programs: Rural health network programs:hchn's activities under its new york state department of health rural health network funding seek to improve the health and well being of individuals who live, work, play, and learn in herkimer county by addressing one of the following priority areas: access to quality healthcare, chronic disease, community health assessment, healthy mothers, babies and children, and physical activity and nutrition. Some highlighted activities under those priority areas include: sponsors medical transportation programs, dental health education, producing the herkimer county risk assessment profile, helping fund anti-bullying programs in herkimer county schools, and provides grants to public school cafeterias to improve the nuturtional quality of school lunches.

creating healthy places to live, work and play:in order to combat obesity and type 2 diabetes, hchn promotes physical activity and improves nutrition in herkimer county through environmental and systems changes. Hchn has been awarded a "creating healthy places to live, work and play" (chp) grant by the new york state department of health. The major focus areas of the chp grant are: increasing availability of places to be physically active (playgrounds/parks/trails), creating community landscapes conducive to physical activity (improve land use policies, building codes, design standards, and zoning regulations) and increasing the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables (by assisting small grocery/convenience stores as well as community farmers' markets with various programs to make those increases) to herkimer county residents.

other programs performed by hchn include; sponsoring national diabetes prevention program being offered at little falls hospital, funding expansion of programs offered in neighboring counties to be offered in herkimer county (community baby shower), and convening workgroups to address identified health priorities.