Health Equity Zone

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HEZ

Connecting Residents with Health Opportunities

At Tri-County, we believe everyone has the right to be healthy. Sometimes this means removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, lack of healthy food, lack of access to good jobs, unsafe home environments or other obstacles. These barriers are often referred to as the “Social Determinants of Health”. Health equity is achieved when every person has the opportunity, and the tools they need to live a healthy life.

Health Equity Zones, or HEZ’s were created to address the social determinants of health and to help remove barriers to achieving a healthy lifestyle. The Tri-County HEZ program serves the towns of Johnston, North Providence and Smithfield and through partnerships with local community organizations, works to ensure residents are connected to the services they need to be healthy.

Mission:

The Tri-County Health Equity Zone seeks to create healthier, more inclusive and connected communities through community listening and engagement, advocacy, and responsive programming.

Vision For Our Community:

  • A place where everyone has their basic needs met with dignity and respect
  • A place where everyone can enjoy timely and affordable access to individualized, comprehensive health and behavioral health services – wherever and whenever needed
  • A place where the healthy choice is the default and affordable choice (I added this one as it speaks to changing conditions that promote healthy choices)
  • A place that supports all our residents to help them live a fulfilling and healthy life
  • A place that is resilient, inclusive, and meets and embraces people where they are
  • A place where individuals that are struggling are treated with compassion and without stigma

What We Do:

The Tri-County Health Equity Zone brings people together to better the health and wellbeing of the community. Through collaboration, resident engagement, and community listening, we work towards addressing the barriers to living a happy, healthy, and satisfying life.

  • Inclusiveness and Diversity – We embrace participation from all voices to ensure we deliver services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate.
  • Energy – We bring energy and excitement to capture opportunities and make things happen.
  • Collaboration – We bring partners and residents to the table to work together in addressing resident need.
  • Empower – We empower residents by giving them the training and tools they need to be happy, healthy members of the community.

 

The Tri-County HEZ program led the charge in North Providence, Johnston and Smithfield to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s how the HEZ program helped these communities:

  • Established COVID-19 mobile testing site in partnership with the Town of Johnston and the Johnston School Department
  • Established weekly COVID-19 vaccine clinics with help from volunteer health professionals, the RI Department of Health and the National Guard
  • Delivered free personal protective equipment to local business, schools and community organizations
  • Organized food distribution, and gift cards for families who experienced loss of wages due to the pandemic

Tri-County HEZ has completed a needs assessment for the Towns of Johnston, North Providence and Smithfield to identify other community needs, and potential barriers to health.

Working together with our community partners and residents, we can ensure that every person and family has the opportunity to live a happy, healthy life.

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Follow the Tri-County HEZ program on Facebook!