More than a dozen representatives of businesses and organizations concerned with improving employee health have been meeting over the past year at the Charlton College of Business on the U-Mass-Dartmouth campus to look at how employee health could be improved through collective action. The group met on march 27, 2009 with the presidents of both Fall River and New Bedford Chambers of Commerce to outline plans and to request their support. Initiated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, the group has developed a mission statement, a website listing local resources, and begun to develop plans for informational and training events for the coming year.  For more information about the project, please contact Ed Hill of People, Inc. who is serving as interim coordinator or Janet Hathaway at Charlton Memorial Hospital who is chairing the group.

(Top row, left) Janet Hathaway, Southcoast Hospitals Group Director of Occupational Health, makes a suggestion for some of the potential activities of the group. (Top row, right) Lisa Erck of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health offers some of the Department's resources for employers. (Middle row) New Bedford Chamber of Commerce president Roy Nascimento and Fall River Chamber of Commerce president Rob Mellion offer the assistance of their organizations to the effort while Mary Dunn of Lightolier listens. (Bottom row, left) Fall River coordinator of Municipal Employee Wellness programs Julianne Kelly offers some ideas for potential action as Jim Amaral of Aerovox listens. (Bottom row, center) Maria Vieira of Joseph Abbound and ____________ listens as Lisa Erck makes a point.