Cover for Blog Post - Left side with Green Background that says: " RiseVT Grant Opportunities for Community Health Programming Now Available in St. Johnsbury and Island Pond." On the right side of the cover image, there is an illustration showing a dynamic and healthy community in Vermont. In the foreground, a hiker is climbing a hill with his dog. In the middle ground, people are exercising, walking their dogs, playing, running, and biking. In the background of the illustration is a small Vermont town on the edge of a lake with mountains in the distance.

ST. JOHNSBURY & ISLAND POND — Increased investments in community health are coming to the St. Johnsbury and Island Pond areas with the addition of RiseVT—the prevention program of OneCare Vermont—and its Amplify Grant program.

Led by Jen Grant, RiseVT Program Manager at Northern Counties Health Care (NCHC), Amplify Grants are intended to provide financial support to local projects that focus on key health and wellness priorities, like promoting walkable communities, supporting nutrition education, increasing opportunities for physical activity, improving stress management, enhancing support for breastfeeding, or supporting tobacco-free environments. Grant will work with a team of community members to seek out and expand opportunities for everyone to get active, eat well, and enjoy local connection in St. Johnsbury and Island Pond.

“RiseVT has placed program managers at hospitals and health centers across Vermont with the goal of working with local stakeholders across all sectors of the community to invest in local health and wellness initiatives,” remarks Marissa Parisi, Executive Director of RiseVT. “We are really excited to have Jen join the RiseVT team with her years of experience working in the community and partners across the NEK.” Grant has worked at NCHC since 2018 as a Community Resource Coordinator, connecting patients with local resources to meet their needs, such as: dental care, health insurance, food, or transportation. In her capacity as a RiseVT Program Manager, Grant will be able to expand on her direct service work to promote local efforts supporting health and wellness where local community members live, work, learn, and play.

“I look forward to digging deeper into the infrastructure, policy, and programming changes necessary to address the social determinants that impact the health of those in the Northeast Kingdom, and amplifying local efforts that make the healthy choice, the easy choice.” said Jen Grant. “OneCare Vermont, RiseVT, and the Accountable Health Community at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, known as NEK Prosper!, are all committed to community-based population health in our region, and I very much look forward to supporting community based initiatives in the St. Johnsbury and Island Pond areas in collaboration with local community partners.”

Grant hit the ground running in her community, already helping to get the word out about the NEK Prosper! initiatives including the Walk Your Way to Better Health walking map display project that provides walking maps at area businesses.”When opportunities for good nutrition, physical activity, mindfulness, and community connection are built into our environments, we can help Vermonters manage and prevent chronic illness down the road.” said Michael Costa, CEO of NCHC. “”We are excited to join the RiseVT team at OneCare Vermont to further the good work of NEK Prosper! in the St. Johnsbury area and help our partners across all sectors in Island Pond to do the important community health work to support health and wellness.”

Organizations in St. Johnsbury and Island Pond that are looking to collaborate with RiseVT should visit www.risevt.org to connect with RiseVT Program Manager, Jen Grant, and learn about the Amplify Grant program.

About OneCare Vermont’s RiseVT program

Prevention doesn’t just happen in a healthcare provider’s office—in fact as much as 80% of a patient’s health and wellness can be determined by factors outside of the clinical setting. These factors include health behaviors, social and economic factors, and the physical environments where they live, work, learn, and play. RiseVT is the lead prevention program for OneCare Vermont, helping make the healthy choice, the easy choice in communities throughout the state. RiseVT program staff are based out of Vermont hospitals and health centers and utilize an evidence-based model that engages public-private partnerships, behavior change interventions, and a comprehensive evaluation approach to achieve measurable and sustainable improvement in community health.

OneCare Vermont, RiseVT, and the Accountable Health Community at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, known as NEK Prosper!, are all committed to community-based population health in our region, and I very much look forward to supporting community based initiatives in the St. Johnsbury and Island Pond areas in collaboration with local community partners.

Jen Grant

RiseVT Program Manager, Northern Counties Health Care

For more information:

Please contact Public Affairs at OneCare Vermont. public@onecarevt.org | 802-847-1346

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