Newsletter | Winter 2022

Let’s Get Moving - Together

There are multiple ways you can participate including joining a work group, attending our
Spring Community meeting, and sharing health information and resources with other county residents. Please email us at healthyannearundel@aacounty.org to get connected to one of our work groups or for additional information about our Coalition.

The start of a new year is a time for hope and optimism. In that spirit, our Healthy Anne Arundel Coalition is ready to make progress on the vital health issues our community has prioritized in our community’s plan for a healthy Anne Arundel (see inside). As we continue our fight against Covid-19, we have important work to do this year to address leading causes of illness and death including mental health and substance use disorders, obesity, diabetes and access to health care. Addressing these health issues will improve our lives and the health of our communities.

The average life expectancy of our neighbors living in the Northern tip of Anne Arundel County is 15 years shorter than for neighbors living in parts of Arnold.

Where you live should not affect how long you live. As a community, we can and will do better.

Who are we?

The Healthy Anne Arundel Coalition is a group of people who live and work in Anne Arundel County collaborating with local decision makers and community partners to improve health for all. Our mission is to remove barriers and create optimal conditions that improve the health and well-being of all people, focusing on people impacted by health inequities.

We’re launching this newsletter to keep everyone updated. In this first issue, we share what HAAC has accomplished the last two years and what’s on deck for 2022. In future issues, we’ll highlight local resources to help you and your family stay healthy.

Meet the People of
Healthy Anne Arundel

Formed in 2011, our Coalition re-launched in early 2020. HAAC is Co- Chaired by Charlestine Fairley, PhD, CEO, Anne Arundel Community Action Agency and Nilesh Kalyanaraman, MD, Anne Arundel County Health Officer and supported by the Anne Arundel County Health Department. The Guiding Coalition, comprised of leaders from health care, mental health, education, human services, faith organizations, community organizations, and businesses guides the vision and strategy for the Coalition working closely with our two community work groups. The heart of our Coalition is you – our community– whose diverse voices and lived experience inform, shape, and hold us accountable for truly making Anne Arundel county healthier for all.

Charlestine Fairley, PhD

Nilesh Kalyanaraman, MD

GUIDING COALITION MEMBERS

• Adrienne Mickler, Mental Health Agency
  
• Chief Amal Awad, Anne Arundel County Police
  
• Honorable Amanda Fiedler, County Council
  
• Bishop Antonio Palmer, Kingdom Alliance Church
  
• Ben Birge, Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp.
  
• Carnitra White, Dept. of Social Services
  
• Danny Bellamy, Total Health Care
  
• Chief Edward Jackson, Annapolis Police
  
• Jen Harrington, Anne Arundel Medical Center
  
• Jill Donaldson, MedStar Harbor Hospital
  
• Pastor Jose Torres, Heritage Community Church
  
• Juanita Tryon, Bay Community Health
  
• Dr. Kai Boggess-de Bruin, Office of the County Executive Anne Arundel County

• Pastor Karen Johnson, Anne Arundel Connecting Together
  
• Kathy McCollum, Univ. of MD, Baltimore Washington Medical Center
  
• Kevin Simmons, Annapolis Office of Emergency Management
  
• Monique Jackson, AACPS
  
• Dr. Pam Brown, Partnership for Children, Youth & Families
  
• Pam Jordan, Office of the County Executive Anne Arundel County
  
• Patrick Mutch, Chase Brexton Health
  
• Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell-Charles, City of Annapolis
  
• Sherry Perkins, Anne Arundel Medical Center
• Skip Auld, AACP Library
  
• Chief Trisha Wolford, Fire Dept

Welcome, Alexis Barnes!

Healthy Anne Arundel Coalition would like to welcome our new Healthy Anne Arundel Coalition Program Manager, Alexis Barnes. Joining us from the CDC Foundation, Alexis has a background in humanitarian and global health. She is passionate about health equity and advocating for marginalized and underserved communities.

We are thrilled to have Alexis on our team.

WHAT’S MISSING? YOU!

To join Healthy Anne Arundel, please reach out to healthyannearundel@aacounty.org.

A Shared Vision for a Healthier Anne Arundel

Our Guiding Coalition and over 150 community members worked together in early 2020 to create a new community plan or “Common Agenda for a Healthier Anne Arundel” that outlines our Coalition’s vision, mission, three bold priorities, and the measurable results we will achieve by 2030. Then the pandemic hit and our initial focus shifted to fighting the spread of COVID-19. In 2021, we began addressing other priorities including Mental Wellness, Obesity, and Healthcare Access.

Priorities:

1. Awareness and access to affordable, timely and quality health care;
2. Addressing social determinants of health; and,
3. Eliminating systemic racism and inequitable health outcomes.

Areas of Focus:

1. Mental Wellness
2. Obesity
3. COVID-19
4. Healthcare Access

Results by 2030:

1. All communities are healthy and safe
2. Improved physical and mental health and well-being
3. Improved quality of life and life expectancy

MENTAL WELLNESS AND HEALTHY EATING ACTIVE LIVING WORK GROUPS

In 2021, we launched our first two work groups: Mental Wellness and Healthy Eating, Active Living to improve health and wellness for all.

Through these work groups and the efforts of our Guiding Coalition, Healthy Anne Arundel Coalition will remove barriers and promote equitable access to health care.

If you are interested in helping to come up with creative, community-centered solutions for mental or physical wellness, join a work group. Email healthyannearundel@aacounty.org to sign up.

MENTAL WELLNESS
WORK GROUP

PURPOSE: Improving Mental Wellness for All

GOAL 1
Develop an effective communication and engagement strategy that educates community members on mental wellness resources

GOAL 2
Enhancing the Anne Arundel County Mental Wellness Provider Network

HEALTHY EATING,
ACTIVE LIVING WORK GROUP

PURPOSE: Promoting positive lifestyle habits

GOAL 1
Education and access to healthy eating, active living information and resources

GOAL 2
Policy Initiatives to improve nutrition education and promote healthy food options

Meets on the second Wednesday of every other month | 9 - 9:50 am.

Meets on the third Thursday of every other month | 12 - 12:50 pm.

Engaging our Community

The voices of those who live, work and play in our community are vital to our mission, especially those who have personally faced the health issues we’re working to improve. In 2021, we were able to host 3 successful virtual community meetings that engaged over 100 community members who shared their local knowledge and diverse perspectives of the health needs and interests of the community.

Moving forward, we will continue to work closely with our coalition partners, while actively engaging more community members, to improve health outcomes for all Anne Arundel County residents. We are committed to increasing the awareness and access to affordable, timely and quality health care, addressing the social determinants of health and eliminating systemic racism and inequitable health outcomes. We will continue to assess the community’s needs and measure progress In 2022, sharing updated data as it becomes available and reviewing the new data at our Spring community meeting.

EACH OF US CAN
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
FOR ALL OF US

With your help, the progress we will make as a coalition, will add days, months and years to people’s lives. Not just time, but “healthy time” to spend with loved ones, achieving our goals and doing the things we enjoy most. We each have a vital role in making that happen.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Here is a schedule of HAAC events and meetings in 2022. All work group and
community meetings are open to the public. If you’d like to be added to our list to receive meeting invites, email healthyannearundel@aacounty.org

• MAR 09 - Mental Wellness Work Group
  
• MAR 17 - HEAL Work Group
  
• MAR 23 - Guiding Coalition Meeting
  
• APR 20 - Spring Community Meeting
  
• MAY 11 - Mental Wellness Work Group
  
• MAY 19 - HEAL Work Group
  
• MAY 25 - Guiding Coalition Meeting

We regularly update our HAAC website calendar of events and local health resources.