Community Health Assessment/Community Health Improvement Plan (CHA/CHIP)
In June 2012, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services completed the first Comprehensive Health Assessment (CHA) for Maricopa County. This collaborative effort was the culmination of an 18-month engagement process that involved a wide variety of local public health system partners, education and social service agencies, community members, and other stakeholders. Assessments were conducted using a variety of methods from health data analysis to surveys and focus groups with several objectives in mind:
- Ensuring racial and ethnic minority communities' needs and input was included
- Ensuring broad representation of underserved populations
- Including disease surveillance subject matter experts in analysis of health data
Through this systematic research and data collection process, the Team identified five issues as health priorities to be addressed in the five-year Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) for Maricopa County. They are:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Lung Cancer
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Access to Health Care
VISION: Empowered communities working together to REACH optimal health and quality of life for all.
Task forces representing four different sectors of the community–Where We Live (Community), Where We Learn (Education), Where We Work (Worksites), and Where We Receive Care (Healthcare)–have been formed to develop plans with emphasis on utilizing evidence based-strategies and policy, systems, and environmental approaches to impact health priorities. The CHIP will become the strategic blueprint for how public health and community partners will work collectively in making Maricopa County a healthier place to live and work. Data will be reviewed continually over the five-year cycle of the CHIP, both to monitor progress toward identified goals, and to establish new goals and priorities as necessary.