FARMINGTON — The public is invited to participate in a discussion on improving the coordination and delivery of services by agencies to people in need.

The community forum will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, at Mt. Blue High School Auditorium. Pizza will be served and free child care provided.

The forum is geared toward the entire community with a special emphasis on youths because their voices are often missing, said Dr. Michele McCormick, a member of a collaborative group tasked with building a countywide system to better match those who need health care, food, housing, transportation or heating assistance with providers.

The collaborative is named We Are Franklin County! Where Every Life Matters.

The collaborative wants to hear firsthand from the public if there are biases or barriers to the service agencies or providers, what works well for residents in terms of access and delivery and what does not, she said.

“We have many resources that both providers and consumers do not know about and therefore do not know how to access,” McCormick said. “There is not a workable system in place and we would like to create one.”

That would be “a system where all providers and agencies are aware of what each provides so that appropriate referrals can easily be made; where barriers to service, such as transportation or communication, are removed and where individuals know what services they can access,” McCormick said.

The collaborative is a new venture among the Mt. Blue Regional Regional School District, Franklin Community Health Network, the University of Maine at Farmington and many local service agencies. It is directed by the Mt. Blue Regional School District Safe Schools Committee, which consists of representatives from the community, local service agencies such as Franklin County Children’s Task Force, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services, FCHN, UMF and the Farmington Police Department, according to a release.

The collaborative and forum are supported by a Venture Grant from the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area.

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