NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Jan Fiderio at 603.283.2107

October 20, 2011 for Immediate Release

AUNE’s Center for Research on Psychological Practice to Evaluate Vision 2020

Community program will get feedback and ideas for improvement

(Keene, NH) -- AUNE’s Center for Research on Psychological Practice (CROPP) has taken on the task of evaluating Keene’s Vision 2020 program. CROPP’s director Jim Fauth and George Tremblay, both core faculty members in the Department of Clinical Psychology, and two PsyD students will take a rigorous look at this broad, ambitious program to see how it’s working and how it might be improved.

Vision 2020 is a community-wide health initiative, housed in Cheshire Medical Center/ Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene (CMC/DHK), which is designed to engage the people of Cheshire County in becoming the healthiest community in the nation by 2020. After a community summit in May 2010, goals were set for each of five health care indicators: health status, health care access, health literacy, wellness and social capital.

CMC/DHK contracted with Antioch New England Institute in 2008 through 2010 to obtain baseline data on these indicators. Now CROPP will survey the community to try to answer more in-depth questions. Is Vision 2020 helping the community achieve its intended goals, and how? If not, how can efforts be improved? How can Vision 2020 most effectively engage the community, which is at the core of the project?

“We are trying to set up real learning opportunities for Vision 2020 about what is or is not working, and how to improve it,” said Fauth. “We are designing an evaluation that tests some core assumptions about community engagement.”

CROPP’s work will focus initially on the Champions program. This part of Vision 2020 is a community engagement program that asks individuals and organizations to take pledges to make changes in their lifestyles or policies that align with the program’s goal of becoming the healthiest community in the nation. CROPP will evaluate whether people are changing their behavior and recruiting others to do the same — if, in fact, the Champions idea is working.

“It’s a really good relationship because we’re eager and excited to try new methods that they’re creating with the evaluation,” said Yvonne Goldsberry, senior director of community health at CMC/DHK. “They’re applying techniques usually used in a more clinical setting to a change model. And they make it seem way easier than it is!”

“It’s good for us to have academic rigor applied to what we’re doing,” Goldsberry said. “Someday we’ll be asked about Vision 2020: ‘How do you know you’re the healthiest community? How do you know that what you have done has worked?’ And we’ll be able to answer.”

About Antioch University New England (AUNE)
Antioch University New England offers highly respected doctoral, master’s and certificate programs in education, environmental studies, management and psychology. Located in Keene, New Hampshire, this unique institution serves approximately one thousand students each year. Our graduates have gone on to be leaders of positive change, working toward a more just and sustainable society. Founded in 1964, Antioch University New England is the oldest of Antioch University’s graduate campuses. Learn more at: www.antiochne.edu

About Antioch University
Antioch University serves adult students around the world and across the country, online and at its five campuses in four states. Each campus offers degree programs that meet—and often anticipate—the pressing needs of its region and the wider world. The University is also home to the landmark PhD in Leadership and Change; Antioch Education Abroad, an exceptional opportunity of immersive service and study programs; and WYSO, a leading public radio affiliate and an essential source of global news and opinion.

Antioch University is a nonprofit private 501(c) (3) organization and member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. For more information, visit www.antioch.edu.

Last Updated: 11/2/11