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What is Haywood Community Connections?

In November 2004, the Haywood Community Governing Council was awarded a $150,000 grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to be utilized to develop a county-wide strategic plan. Subsequently, the Governing Council was awarded a $750,000 implementation grant from the Community Partnerships for Older Adults Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. There were eleven applicants and only eight grantees nationwide.

This grant will enable the Governing Council “to develop an infrastructure through which a long term care and supportive services system will be accessible to all county residents and through which gaps in the system will be recognized and addressed.” Through this infrastructure, a network will be formed that fosters partnerships between public and private organizations, businesses and community members. This network/infrastructure is known as “Haywood Community Connections.” Through this network all other goals and objectives of the strategic plan will be met.

Haywood Community Connections is a project funded by the Community Partnerships for Older Adults initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and matching funds supplied by municipal and county government entities as well as by individual partners. The project’s primary focus is the creation of an infrastructure/network.

This infrastructure Haywood Community Connections will:

• Create an awareness of services and programs currently available
• Strengthen the partnership 
• Bring community members, businesses, and government entities together to bring positive changes to our county 
• Create a communication network among community leaders throughout the county. Each community will have its own community leaders and team that will stay in touch with the community and communicate needs to an information center. Many needs will be met on a community level. This plan constitutes a return to the “neighbor helping neighbor” concept. 
• Increase preparedness to address emerging needs and to capitalize upon opportunities to meet those needs

Why is Haywood Community Connections important?

Haywood Community Connections is important because it will:

• Create a system that is responsive to not only the needs but also the preferences of our vulnerable, at-risk, older citizens.
• Provide an infrastructure that will not only enable our community to realize the goals and objectives that emerged from surveys and town forums, but will also enable the community to do advanced planning, study projected demographics, and remain prepared to meet emerging needs. 
• Empower and equip community leaders to meet needs in their communities through the provision of resources, tools, and training. 
• The long term care and supportive services system will be more self-sufficient and less dependent on support from outside the community.