“The business community, city of Bangor and arts organizations need to see the mutual benefit of working together to achieve a shared vision.”
These are the words of a group of residents and students from Husson University who recently held focus groups across the city to produce a report with residents’ suggestions for growing Bangor as an economic engine and cultural hub.
This statement echoes sentiments expressed by city staff, community leaders in groups such as the Arena Yes campaign, the Greater Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce and others.
However, Bangor Forward’s findings serve as a great reminder. To illustrate how we might act on them, I want to highlight an ongoing success story from our community.
During the past two years, the Community Health Leadership Board, created by the city of Bangor’s public health department, has made incredible strides to coordinate our region’s medical community to address the issue of opiate addiction. The board includes doctors, administrators, nonprofit leaders, interested citizens and officials from the city of Bangor.
One of the unique and important aspects of the leadership board was a shared commitment to not creating a new formal organization. Instead, they sought to effect change within the individual organizations already at the table.
With a small planning grant, the CHLB defined an action plan and broke itself up into six working groups, each of which has made significant progress.
One working group aimed to create uniformity across providers for prescribing opiates. This seemingly simple change, which was likely a substantial undertaking for many organizations, has reduced the potential for some medical providers to be viewed by patients as having “easier access” and has already reduced the opportunities for patients to sell or trade prescription medication in the city. The group has started expanding membership and outreach beyond city limits and is working to establish protocols for additional medications.
The public awareness working group, which included local media, health officials, marketing consultants and community members, is working to bring attention to the more wide-reaching societal impacts of addiction in order to reduce any stigma associated with recovery.
What does opiate addiction and the CHLB have to do with the suggestions presented by Bangor Forward?
As a community interested in growing our economy, attracting young people and maintaining investment in infrastructure, the city must imitate the CHLB’s successful model for aligning the efforts of existing organizations in pursuit of a shared goal.
We know there is significant institutional knowledge within membership of every organization mentioned here and others beyond city limits — strong leaders, innovators, marketers and citizens committed to the region. The Cross Insurance Center is one example of what happens when all these leaders are focused on the same result. The findings of Bangor Forward should inspire us to keep up the heavy lifting being done by many.
Conveniently, the CHLB provides a proven framework to merge us onto the same page.
With strong community interest, a unified City Hall to facilitate and a business community eager for continued success, 2016 will be the year when all the pieces come together to make our region shine.
Josh Plourde is a Bangor city councilor.