What is a Community Health Improvement Plan and why is it important?

While public health work is vital to the overall health and well-being of society, a lot of the work is done behind the scenes. Each day, public health workers are trying to reduce barriers, prevent disease, and bridge health gaps. Many may pose the question, what are we doing to make a difference in our own community?

The Living Well Medina County (LWMC) coalition recently released a community health assessment (CHA) in May of 2024, as well as a community health improvement plan (CHIP) in October. This process analyzes the current health status of Medina County, identifies priority health issues, and develops a plan to address those needs.

The CHIP was written so that community agencies who are working on similar initiatives can collaborate, find synergy, and work together to solve issues, all while reducing the duplication of efforts.

Why is the CHIP important? Why should we care as residents of this community? Let us break it down:

The 5 W’s of the CHIP:

WHO: The CHIP is developed by the LWMC coalition that consists of community partners, local stakeholders, non-profit partners, and community residents who strive to improve community wellness. Within this coalition, there are two action teams: Mental Health and Chronic Disease.

WHAT: The CHIP is a framework used to guide community activities. The primary focus of the CHIP is to understand and interpret the data from the CHA, identify priority health needs, create a plan to address those needs, and evaluate the impact of set goals.

WHERE: The LWMC coalition defines its primary service area as Medina County, currently serving a population of 182,470.

WHEN: There is currently a work plan for both action teams with more specific measurements and demographics. Twice a year, all efforts are evaluated for progress, resulting in status reports at the end of the year. The CHA is typically conducted every 3 years, while a CHIP is updated every 5 years. The Medina County CHIP is set to be updated in 2030.

WHY: Arguably the most important question, the CHIP is a vital assessment to continue so that we can know where to direct our resources and use them in the best way. Community partners want to provide the best possible care for residents, and we can use this report to guide us in our strategic planning and decision making in the future.

We asked LWMC co-chair and Director of Community Health at MCHD, Kristen Hildreth, what her biggest takeaway from the assessment was: “My biggest takeaway from the CHA was that life expectancy is different based on where you live in the county geographically. When you look at health strategies, what works in one neighborhood might not work in another. It’s not a one size fits all, it varies. We need to use the CHIP to find the best solutions and intervention for unique needs”.

View the 2024 CHA and 2024 CHIP in full now.

How can you get involved?

The Living Well Medina County coalition is primarily agency members right now, but would love to have more community engagement. Community members can get involved by joining one of the two action teams: Mental Health or Chronic Disease. The action teams meet regularly at the Medina County Health Department. If you are interested in joining a team, contact Kristen Hildreth at [email protected].