The Community Health Development Section builds effective state, regional, and local public health infrastructure by providing quality training, education, guidance and technical assistance to increase workforce competency and community capacity.  A critical aspect of NH's public health emergency preparedness plan is support for the development of an integrated regional public health infrastructure with capacity to engage in community health improvement activities as well as public health emergency preparedness and response. 

Support of regional Public Health Networks (PHNs) to ensure the delivery of the 10 Essential Public Health Services  is a activity of the overall community health development strategy.  Each PHN serves a region of at least 4 cities and/or towns and is responsible for developing strategic linkages with businesses, schools, hospitals, and human service providers to assess and plan for improvement of overall health status, and to participate, when necessary, in local public health related emergency response.  As emergency preparedness capacity is achieved, the PHNs will also provide an umbrella for convening and coordinating other local public health-focused coalitions and networks. 

The Health Officer Liaison (HOL) unit is dedicated to enhancing the skills, knowledge, and capacity of local health officers.  NH state law requires every municipality to have an appointed health officer.  The HOL unit provides orientations to new health officers and technical assistance to help resolve specific issues.  The unit also coordinates and implements regional and statewide trainings inpartnership with the NH Health Officers' Association to increase the knowledge, skills, and capacity of local health officers.