Twenty-five years ago agencies, providers, and stakeholders in Herkimer County and the Mohawk Valley decided to Collaborate because decisions were being made by outsides systems that were negatively impacting the health and well-being of area residents. This was the beginning of Herkimer HealthNet. Originally conceived as the “Herkimer County Healthcare Planning Consortium”, it was an informal coalition of concerned stakeholders who met to discuss the threats to Herkimer County’s health and human services system. Funding from the New York State Department of Health became available and those involved with the organization decided to become their own nonprofit. This enabled HealthNet to take advantage of other funding opportunities that a governmental entity would normally not be able to. Herkimer County Rural Health Network, as it was now called, shifted from being a quasi-governmental department to an independent corporation with an established mission and vision. The “Network" became the center of health/human service needs assessment and planning for the County. It was an axis that brought local leaders and community members together to discuss identified needs and to plan for emerging needs. This is the same basic formula that the organization follows to this day; though it changed its name to Herkimer County HealthNet in 2004. Today, its Vision Statement is, “Herkimer County HealthNet will be a leader in collaboration, working with its stakeholders to identify and address health and human service needs and support and coordinate solutions.” HCHN’s Mission and Vision are realized by working collaboratively with government, health and human service organizations, and non-profits in the Central New York region. HCHN’s Board of Directors has broad representation of organizations serving Herkimer County residents, and its workplan is implemented by its three full-time employees and sub-contracted agencies and contractors.