DIRECTIONS Winter 2010

Welcome to DIRECTIONS, PHMC's newsletter!

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-The editorial staff of DIRECTIONS

Strategic Planning: The Bridge Maps a Blueprint for the Future

In today’s rapidly changing nonprofit environment, organizational strategic plans are more important than ever. Without a clear sense of where it wants to go and how to get there, organizations are prone to drift aimlessly in the winds of policy, funding and practice change.

The following information is taken from the 2008 Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) Household Health Survey conducted by PHMC’s Community Health Data Base. Analysis includes all adults ages 18 and older in the five-county area, except where specified.

Lewis David Polk, MD, MPH, former Commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and one of the founding board members of PHMC, died on Saturday, October 24, 2009, in Philadelphia. He was 80 years old.

Everything PHMC does flows from data and research, allowing us to provide high quality, evidence-based programs and services reaching the people who need them most. As the US Census Bureau prepares for the upcoming Census 2010, PHMC strongly encourages area residents to complete and return the questionnaire, which is due to hit mailboxes in March 2010.

Throughout the region, economic hardship is a reality. Stress from financial strain is reflected in our well-being, with long-term effects on families, communities and individual health. The emotional toll of struggling to get by can directly affect health, and financial difficulty also may cause delays in seeking needed medical care.