The HEALTHQUEST initiative supports the region served by the Northeast District Department of Health (NDDH), which acted as applicant and fiduciary for the ACHIEVE grant funded by the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. This area includes approximately 85,000 residents in twelve towns covering over 438 square miles. Member towns include Brooklyn, Canterbury, Eastford, Hampton, Killingly, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Sterling, Thompson, Union, and Woodstock. The population ranges from long-term, multi-generational families to newly immigrated residents from urban areas. Four of the twelve towns are considered to be at or below state poverty levels.  There is a wide range or income and education levels in the area. The median household income in 2008 in Windham County was $54,859 (the lowest income of any county in the State of Connecticut), while the state median was $67,236.  

From a health perspective, Windham County ranks second in Connecticut for asthma hospitalization rates (13.5 per 10,000).  In 2004, 36.5 percent of Connecticut residents were considered overweight, up from 32.8 percent in 1990. In an examination of counties in the State of Connecticut, the rural northeast had the highest incidence of diabetes at 7.9 percent. 

The initial efforts of the ACHIEVE HEALTHQUEST Community Health Action Response Team (CHART) will focus on the pilot towns of Putnam, Plainfield, and Killingly and will expand to other communities within the service district as funding and resources allow.