YPSILANTI – The Washtenaw County Health Department (WCHD) is proud to share that the countywide Community Health Assessment (CHA) has been completed. Typically conducted every five years, the CHA helps the Health Department document our community’s health needs so we can work to address them together with partners and community through collaborative planning and activities.
“Our CHA was a collective effort that would not have been possible without the help of community organizations and community members who share our commitment to improve health and quality of life,” says Jimena Loveluck, MSW, health officer.
“The 2023 CHA is a prime example of the value these community partnerships bring to local public health work in Washtenaw County. We look forward to acting on what we learned through our CHA to improve health for everyone in our county.”
In addition to providing a roadmap for future Health Department activities, this assessment can also be used by community groups and members working to improve health in Washtenaw. Everyone is welcome to see the findings from our CHA and follow the development of our Community Health Improvement Plan on our Health for All website: https://healthforallwashtenaw.org/cha
CHA Process
The CHA pulls together existing health data with perspectives from community members and partners. Community input was collected through surveys, one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and windshield tours (assessments of physical spaces throughout the county). All of this helps the Health Department and partners better understand the factors that make it easier or more difficult for our community members to live their healthiest lives.
“Our Health Department’s approach to this process is really rooted in our commitment to health equity,” says Dayna Brimley, MPH, community health analyst. “Conducting a CHA is a huge lift that would not have been possible without the passion and commitment of our community members and organizations. We’re grateful for each person who shared their expertise and experience with us, and we are eager to get to work putting this collective learning into action.”
Learn more about the methodology behind our CHA: https://www.healthforallwashtenaw.org/tiles/index/display?alias=Methodology
Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)
Following the CHA, the next step was to prioritize three health topics that the Health Department will focus on for the next five years as part of our Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). A complete list of health needs that emerged through the CHA is available here.
In November 2023, we hosted a State of Our Health event convening community members and partners. Following a presentation of findings from the CHA, attendees participated in a prioritization scoring activity to select the three priority health needs to focus the CHIP. We also conducted five smaller group sessions with additional community members who also participated in the prioritization scoring activity.
We then reviewed results from all the scoring activities and identified three priority areas for the 2024 CHIP: mental health, access to health care, and access to healthy food.
“The importance of mental health services access and support continually came up as we spoke with community members during our CHA,” says Loveluck. “Our community recognizes that mental health is an essential part of wellbeing, and we’re ready to work together to improve mental health for our Washtenaw neighbors.”
“Access to health care and healthy food are essential to the overall health of our county,” says Brimley. “The next part of our process is all about putting actionable goals in place to make real improvements in each of these priority areas – together.”
See more about each of these health priorities: mental health, access to health care, and access to healthy food.
Workgroups for each of these areas are currently being formed. Each workgroup will draft a set of goals and action plans to improve the priority areas in Washtenaw County (summer 2024) and then implement those action plans (fall 2024 through 2027).
Health for All Washtenaw
Health for All (https://www.healthforallwashtenaw.org/) is the digital home for community health improvement work in Washtenaw County. Follow along there or join our Health Department email list (http://bit.ly/WCHD555) for updates as the CHIP progresses.
Washtenaw County Health Department
The Washtenaw County Health Department promotes health and works to prevent disease and injury in our community. Our mission is to assure, in partnership with the community, the conditions necessary for people to live healthy lives through prevention and protection programs. Visit us at washtenaw.org/health or call 734-544-6700. The Health Department also provides frequent social media updates (@wcpublichealth) and sends regular email updates; sign up at http://bit.ly/WCHD555.
