Facilitated by Healthier Somerset, a Leadership Team was convened to create this Blueprint for Action to advance systematic change that will enhance overall health and wellness and health equity in the Somerset County towns of Bound Brook and South Bound Brook. Over the course of 12-months, the Leadership Team undertook an expansive planning effort that involved:
- Research on and collection of data regarding current health outcomes and challenges to health and wellness within the two communities,
- Engagement of local officials and community leaders to understand current challenges to health and wellness in the community and to explore potential strategies to bring about sustainable changes in systems and policies to promote health and wellness and health equity,
- Examination of best practices to advance systematic changes to promote health and wellness elsewhere to inform identification of priorities in Bound Brook and South Bound Brook, and
- Dialogue with residents to determine how to best address their short and long-term needs with a strong focus on addressing the underlying factors that affect health and wellness including socioeconomic conditions, the built environment, siloed health systems and access to care, and educational attainment.