About Us

We represent a partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, hospitals, service agencies, schools, businesses, boards of health, residents, and other concerned citizens in the 11 towns we serve. We work to identify the health needs of the local communities we serve, find ways to address those needs, and improve the community’s health.

Areas we serve: Carver, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Kingston,
Marshfield, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton and Rockland

Who we are: Operating Principles

The South Shore Community Partners in Prevention (CHNA 23) is one of 27 Community Health Network Areas (CHNA) across Massachusetts. Created by the Department of Public Health in 1992, the CHNAs are an initiative to improve health through local collaborations. The alliance is a partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Southeast Center for Healthy Communities, residents, hospitals, local service agencies, schools, businesses, boards of health, and other concerned citizens who are working together to identify the health needs of member communities, find ways to address those needs, and improve the health of the community.

As part of this statewide effort to develop, implement, and integrate community projects that effectively utilize community resources to improve health status, South Shore Community Partners in Prevention has maintained the following goals:

  • Build collaborations focused on the MA Department of Public Health’s statewide public health priorities

  • Support the assessment and response to unmet community health and wellness needs

  • Promote the work of South Shore Community Partners in Prevention within the region

  • Support and promote the work of individual SSCPP members

The South Shore Community Partners in Prevention (SSCPP) has focused upon establishing a broader, more comprehensive approach to developing healthier communities in the 11 towns that comprise the SSCPP. Healthy communities embrace the following principles:

  • A broad definition of “health”;

  • A broad definition of “community”;

  • A shared vision from community values;

  • Quality of life for everyone;

  • Diverse citizen participation and ownership;

  • Focus on systems change;

  • Build capacity using local assets and resources;

  • Benchmark and measure progress and outcomes; and

  • Youth development.

The focus is deliberately broad to encompass our ideals as well as member agencies. By being broad and inclusive we hope to engage all the SSCPP members in working toward building healthier communities throughout our 11 SSCPP towns.

What is Health Literacy?

Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, communicate, and process basic health information and services and to advocate for and to understand their responsibilities for their own health to make informed health decisions.

What is a CHNA?

Community Health Network Areas (CHNAs) are coalitions of public, nonprofit and private sectors working together to build healthier communities through community-based prevention planning and health promotion. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) established CHNAs in 1992. Today, CHNAs involve each of the state’s 351 towns and cities through 27 networks.

CHNAs play an important role in addressing DPH’s statewide public health priorities:

  • Eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities and their social determinants

  • Promoting wellness in the home, workplace, school, and community

  • Preventing and managing chronic disease

CHNAs collaboratively identify local and regional health priorities, design community-based prevention plans, and track success in achieving healthier communities. CHNAs develop new health improvement projects as initial projects are completed.