Get Healthy Carson City: Share thoughts on community health improvement

This column appears in the Nevada Appeal Wednesday health pages. It addresses topics related to the health of our community.

Beginning in the fall of 2010, Carson City Health & Human Services and other community partners, such as Partnership Carson City, Carson Tahoe Health and the Nevada Public Health Foundation, came together to initiate community health improvement planning efforts in our city. From these efforts, the Carson City Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan were produced and finalized in the spring of 2012.

Around that time, Carson City Health & Human Services (CCHHS) began to pursue public health accreditation from the nationally recognized Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). As part of that process, PHAB required CCHHS to develop the health assessment and improvement plan documents, with the goal of improving and promoting the health status of the community.

The Community Health Assessment (CHA) looks at public health data, community input and partner feedback to identify the elements that affect population health, develop priorities and determine the resources needed. The Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is then developed to implement strategies to improve any gaps identified in the CHA.

Currently, partners from community health organizations have geared up to produce the second edition of the Community Health Assessment. CCHHS needs your input! You can contribute by participating in the Public Health Town Hall meeting on Thursday, April 28 at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center, Bristlecone Room, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Also, Carson Tahoe Health has produced a phone survey regarding the community’s health status. If you get a phone call from a surveyor, please take the opportunity to share your feedback, as it helps us to identify health needs and plan for future programs and activities that improve the community’s health.

Find out more about the town hall and community health improvement planning by visiting GetHealthyCarsonCity.org or check out Facebook.com/CCHHS.