Year 5 Evaluation Summary

Partnerships

Establish, expand, and enhance partnerships

Collaborating across 10 states to advance disability and health

NH DHP continued collaborating with the other nine CDC-funded disability and health state programs to share lessons learned and strengthen collective impact. Key cross-state activities included:

• DHP hosted quarterly Evidence-Based Intervention Workgroup meetings, bringing together all 10 state programs to discuss implementation of Living Well in the Community, recruitment strategies, partnerships, and ways to expand program reach and impact.
• DHP staff participated in workgroups focused on educating healthcare providers through Responsive Practice and sharing outcomes from the health linkage demonstration program through collaborative manuscripts and national presentations.
• These collaborations supported the exchange of practical strategies, ideas, and lessons learned to help states implement and sustain disability and health initiatives.

Responsive practice reaches participants across the country

In Year 5, a record number of participants completed the Responsive Practice modules, with learners from more than 40 states. The highest participation was in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Colorado, North Carolina, and Florida. Many participants completed the training as a requirement for their health professions degree program. In New Hampshire, nursing students from the University of New Hampshire and Great Bay Community College took the training as part of their coursework. 

Explore the maps below to see where Responsive Practice participants joined from across the United States.

Map of Care and Screening module participants by state. Distribution of Responsive practice: Providing health care & screenings to individuals with disabilities participants by state during Year 5. 

Map of the Communication module participants by state. Distribution of Responsive practice: Accessible & adaptive communication participants by state during Year 5. 

Collaborative dissemination: Sharing impact and lessons learned 

DHP worked closely with staff from the other nine disability and health states to identify lessons learned, outcomes, and collective impact from the health linkage demonstration project. This effort includes two in-progress manuscripts, two upcoming presentations at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in November, and one panel proposal for the Association of University Centers on Disabilities Annual Conference. Additionally, DHP submitted two presentation proposals to local conferences to share New Hampshire-specific impact with professionals in the public health, mental and behavioral health, and healthcare fields. 

Building wellness and connection through community partnership

DHP partnered with the Exeter Parks and Recreation Department to host a 10-week Living Well in the Community (LWIC) workshop. Seven individuals enrolled in the program, with five participants completing the workshop. Throughout the 10 weeks, participants explored topics such as goal setting, physical activity, healthy communication, and strategies to improve overall health and well-being while working toward individualized wellness goals. By the end of the workshop, all participants reported either achieving their goal or making meaningful progress toward it. 

Participants also highlighted the value of peer support and the opportunity to build new relationships throughout the workshop. Many shared that connecting with others, exchanging community resources, and learning practical strategies increased their confidence and engagement within their communities. 

DHP is looking forward to continued work with the Exeter Park and Recreation Department and other senior centers to connect with community members. 

Read the full success story here

Using the NCHPAD project to make change at the YMCA

Accessible entrance at the Granite YMCA Manchester downtown branch

Over the past three years, the DHP team has worked with the Granite YMCA with support from the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability to improve accessibility and inclusion. This project used the NCHPAD Inclusive Community Implementation Process (NiCIP) and was guided by an Inclusive Health Coalition (IHC) made up of people with disabilities and professionals from organizations including the Moore Center, Crotched Mountain Foundation, and AdaptX. Through the IHC efforts, the Granite YMCA made changes to ensure its programs and environments are more accessible and inclusive. This included adding a question to their membership form that allows new members to share if they need an accommodation to participate in Granite YMCA activities. The image below highlights a signage change at the accessible entrance at the Manchester downtown branch to ensure it is welcoming for all. 

Presentation leads to new connection

In November, DHP staff traveled north to present “Engaging Disabled Voices: Accessible and Inclusive Community Engagement Strategies” at the North Country Public Health Conference. The presentation explored health disparities experienced by adults with disabilities in New Hampshire and provided practical strategies for recruiting people with disabilities to councils, advisory groups, and coalitions, as well as creating accessible communication and meeting practices. 

The presentation also led to a new partnership opportunity. In the spring, the Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at Dartmouth Cancer Center contacted DHP after recognizing connections between our work and an obesity prevention initiative at Dartmouth. DHP participated in an interview to provide a disability perspective, which helped inform the project’s data collection, discussion questions, and development of potential solutions.

This collaboration led to an invitation for DHP to participate in a Health Forum hosted by Dartmouth Cancer Center. The forum brought together partners working to better understand obesity-related efforts and identify collaborative approaches to obesity prevention and cancer risk reduction.

This experience demonstrates how community presentations can extend the reach of DHP’s work, create meaningful new partnerships, and help ensure that disability perspectives are incorporated into broader public health initiatives.