Community Health Assessment
Community Health Assessment & Community Health Improvement Plan (CHA/CHIP)
A community health assessment (CHA) is a process to learn about the community’s current health status, needs, and issues. It is the first ingredient needed for an overall healthy community. Community ownership is the fundamental component of the assessment. This information can help develop a community health improvement plan by justifying how and where resources should be allocated to best meet community needs.
A community health improvement plan (CHIP) uses what we learn from the CHA to address public health problems. It brings community organizations, residents, and partners together around shared goals. Our plan is updated every 5 years.
In simple terms, the CHA helps us understand the health of the community. The CHIP helps us decide where we want to go and how we will get there.