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Community Engagement

Our Mission and Values

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Care New England’s mission is to provide exceptional care with kindness and compassion, and our vision is to lead the way in anticipating and meeting the needs of our patients, team members and the communities we serve. Care New England’s values center around accountability, caring, and teamwork, and that transcends into the organization’s community engagement throughout the region. Our commitment to good stewardship within our community means you can rely on our efforts to identify, mitigate and address our community’s health needs inside and outside our facilities, as well as among our partners and in situations beyond the traditional medical model.

Care New England Health System and its member organizations strive to partner with organizations and agencies within Rhode Island and within local communities, particularly where our facilities are located. Involvement encompasses community giving and sponsorships, direct volunteer efforts, interactive and community programs to provide direct care to patients, education and awareness, and workforce and skills development for youth and adults.

Our Impact

At Care New England, we measure community impact differently. We define community impact as the tangible and intangible transformations made to everyday challenges affecting our communities. We do this by collaborating with our community partners in creating tailored programs, workshops, and interventions. Our approach involves a comprehensive measurement of outcomes achieved through the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data.

Our Approach to Community Engagement

  • Listening and Respecting: We value and listen to the perspectives and experiences of our community.
  • Collaborating for Solutions: We work together to address community needs and priorities.
  • Building Trust: We aim to strengthen the relationship between our healthcare system and the community.
  • Supporting Local Efforts: We back initiatives and organizations that promote a healthier Rhode Island.
  • Creating Partnerships: We build sustainable relationships within the community.
  • Advocating for Equity: We support a community-centered approach to advancing health equity.
  • Gathering Feedback: We continually seek input from community members to develop programs that reduce health disparities and enhance patient care.
  • Tracking Impact: We measure and track our community impact to ensure that we are meeting our collective goals. 

Focus Areas of Community Engagement

At Care New England, we are committed to fostering strong community relationships. We prioritize building collaborative partnerships to enhance community health, supporting non-profits aligned with our priorities, and encouraging our team members to volunteer their skills and resources locally. Our approach to community engagement involves working closely with community members, leaders, and organizations to identify health needs, share resources, and develop strategies to improve health outcomes. This process promotes trust, transparency, and empowers communities to take an active role in their well-being.

Additionally, as part of our community giving, we focus on efforts that advance the following priority areas:

Behavioral Health
Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health conditions and substance use disorders to improve overall well-being.
Chronic Disease Management
Strategies and interventions to help individuals manage long-term health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease effectively.
Equitable Community Health and Wellness
Promotes overall health and well-being through community-based programs and initiatives that address physical, mental, and social aspects of health.
Maternal and Child Health
Addresses the health needs of pregnant women, infants, and children through comprehensive care, education, and support to ensure healthy outcomes.
Social Drivers of Health
Social drivers of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. Examples include access to adequate housing, transportation, employment, nutritious food, and safe communities.
Workforce Development
Focuses on enhancing the skills, knowledge, and competencies of the community to improve the economic opportunities and career growth within Rhode Island.
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Community Giving and Volunteering

Care New England supports organizations working to impact the health of our community. We are proud to invest in our community through sponsorship of various programs and events. Organizations advancing goals aligned with Care New England priorities, including Social Drivers of Health, Behavioral Health, Chronic Disease Management, Maternal and Child Health, Workforce Development, and Equitable Community Wellness will be prioritized.

 
To request that Care New England sponsor an event or activity and to review the sponsorship criteria, please visit our Community Giving page.

Community Health Needs Assessment

To help guide the community health efforts across the system, Care New England participates in a statewide comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment, which helps guide areas of need the organization works to address that include social determinants of health, comorbidities, aging, health disparities, adverse childhood experiences, and neonatal abstinence syndrome. To learn more, visit Community Health Needs Assessment.

How Can We Help?

For any community engagement related questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to community.engagement@carene.org