Community Health Improvement
Community Health Improvement Workgroup
Mission: To improve the health and wellness of individuals and families of Monroe County by addressing prioritized needs and inequities through sustainable systems change built on collaboration and supported by shared resources.
The Community Health Improvement Workgroup of Monroe County provides remarkable examples of how leaders from hospitals and the community can collaborate to improve the health of the population. There are two primary hospital systems in the region, each operating two hospitals in Monroe County. Every three years, through a process mandated by the Affordable Care Act and the New York State Department of Health, non-profit hospitals and the health department conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to determine areas of community health concern. In Monroe County, the Community Health Improvement Workgroup (CHIW) brings together leaders from hospitals, health departments and community agencies to prioritize community health needs and develop a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) for addressing the needs of our County.
The hospital systems have been filing a joint community service plan since the year 2000, and continue this process together with the Monroe County Department of Public Health to submit one CHNA and CHIP for Monroe County every few years. Also instrumental in the community health improvement process are several partners including the local DSRIP organization Finger Lakes Performing Provider System (FLPPS), Common Ground Health (our local PHIP or Population Health Improvement Program), and Monroe County Office of Mental Health.
The Center for Community Health & Prevention takes the role of convening and coordinating the Community Health Improvement Workgroup.
The CHIW meets monthly to discuss implementation of the improvement plan and to assess how the evaluation metrics for improvement are being met. Each hospital, the health department and several community agencies have specific roles in implementation of the improvement plan, and each hospital board has voted to approve the CHNA and CHIP, committing to its implementation. Community members are instrumental for success in the planning and implementation of the Improvement Plan. Leaders from the CHIW have met with several community agencies throughout the needs assessment process, and will continue to seek feedback throughout the 2022-2024 implementation period and beyond.
The process used in Monroe County for CHIP development has been recognized as one of the 10 'best practices' in the country in a Health Resources in Action publication, titled "CHI Processes Evaluation: Evaluating the Promise of Community Health Improvement Process." Health Resources in Action, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting public health and advancing medical research, completed this evaluation project with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Monroe County 2019-2021 CHIP Implementation Final Report
Current CHIW Members
Upcoming Meetings
The CHIW typically meets on the third Monday of every month at 3:30 p.m. Meetings are currently being held remotely.
Please contact Sarah Verna, M.P.H., Health Policy coordinator, for information on attending.
To learn more about the Monroe County Community Health Improvement Plan and to see current and previous plans, please visit the Commitment to Community web page. For more information regarding the Community Health Improvement Workgroup and to be added to the mailing list for upcoming meetings, contact Sarah Verna.
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