Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)

A community health improvement plan (CHIP) is a community-wide strategic plan that is developed to respond to top health issues identified through the completion of a community health needs assessment (CHNA). CHIPs include goals, objectives, and strategies agreed upon by community partners that are intended to address top health concerns. Strategies are implemented over a 3- to 5-year timeframe and evaluated for community impact.

2021 - 2024 CHIP Workgroups

The following priorities were identified through the 2020 CHNA process:

  • Access to Health Care
  • Discrimination and Racial Inequity
  • Economic Security
  • Mental Health

Community workgroups have been meeting consistently to develop goals and strategies to address the health priorities of access to health care, economic security and mental health. While a workgroup related to discrimination and racial inequity was not established, each of the priority workgroups developed goals and strategies using an equity lens.

The following is an overview of the strategies selected by each workgroup to implement during the 2021 - 2024 CHIP process:

  • Economic Security
    Economic Security Co-Chairs

    Dallas Lenear - Project GREEN
    Michelle Bryk - Women's Resource Center

    View Data Summary »
    Strategies
    1. Establish system for private landlords to report on-time rent payments to credit bureaus to improve the credit scores of tenants
    2. Work with local stakeholders in the childcare arena to increase awareness of subsidies available to families to support payment for childcare
    3. Increase utilization of public benefits that provide assistance with food access, utility payments and other essential needs.
  • Mental Health
    Mental Health Co-Chairs

    Regina Salmi - Network 180
    Raymond Higbea - Grand Valley State University

    View Data Summary »
    Strategies
    1. Update the Kent County Mental Health Crisis Brochure on a quarterly basis and ensure that it is translated into the most common languages spoken in the County
    2. Develop culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health resource kits and distribute them to geographic areas and populations who have not historically been engaged through outreach activities
    3. Ensure social workers, nurses and nurse practitioners, psychologists, peer support specialists and other mid-level providers working with special populations in Kent County have knowledge and skills in trauma-informed care.
    4. Assist middle school, high school and college students in exploring a career in mental and behavioral health professions by engaging with organizations who have connections to students (e.g., Grand Rapids African American Health Institute's Pathways program, Kent Intermediate School District, and local colleges/universities)
  • Access to Healthcare
    Access to Healthcare Chair

    Coleen Davis - Renew Mobility

    View Data Summary »
    Strategy
    1. Develop and distribute educational materials effort related to the understanding insurance, when and where to access care, different portals of care, and overcoming barriers to care

CHIP Steering Committee

The Kent County CHIP is led by two co-chairs who support workgroup co-chairs through the action phase of implementing the identified strategies. Workgroup co-chairs and CHIP co-chairs meet monthly as a Steering Committee to share updates, address barriers to achieving goals, and discuss opportunities for alignment across workgroups.

2021-2024 CHIP Co-Chairs

Wende Randall - Kent County Essential Needs Taskforce
Brian Hartl - Kent County Health Department Center for Community Health Strategy