Hot off the Press: The 2017 Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan

Health Department and Hospital representatives discuss the CHA on WIRY.

For the past year, CCHD and UVHN-CVPH have been working with community health partners to complete the Clinton County Community Health Assessment (CHA) and the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).  While these documents are required by NYSDOH, the practice allows the community to develop a shared plan for community health improvement.  The process for creating these documents involves collecting and interpreting health data as well as securing resident and stakeholder input. With this information, local health priorities are then determined. 

This community health assessment differed notably from past experiences.  First off, health data is now more accessible than ever.  National, state and other public data portals offered easy, quick access to many health metrics.  Data contributed by local organizations was also included.  In addition, community residents were surveyed regarding health issues they felt were important to them and to their communities.  Their input was used in selecting health priorities and designing activities for the new health improvement plan.  With this input, community health partners voted to adjust the course… slightly.  The featured priority areas are now: Prevent Chronic Disease and Promote Mental Health and Prevent Substance Abuse.

The CHA and CHIP are available for viewing and input at www.ClintonHealth.org  in the “Statistical Data” section.