Community health planning
Learn about planning in the Boston Public Health Commission.
The Boston CHNA-CHIP Collaborative is a new initiative to take on the large-scale citywide Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan process.
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For more information, contact us below:
BPHC community health planning
What is a Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHNA-CHIP)?
A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) identifies the key health needs, strengths, and resources of a community through data collection and analysis.
A Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is the response to needs identified in the CHNA. The CHIP process involves creating a detailed, evidence-based improvement plan. The plan addresses the prioritized needs of the community.
How were the key health needs identified in the 2019 Boston CHNA?
The Boston CHNA-CHIP used a participatory, collaborative approach to engage the community through:
- a review of existing data
- a community survey administered in seven languages that gathered 2,404 responses
- 13 focus groups with 104 community residents, and
- 45 key informant interviews with leaders and direct service providers across sectors.
We narrowed the information through a process that included:
- an online survey
- small group discussions, and
- a large inclusive prioritization meeting.
This process identified the priorities for collaborative action.
The final priorities selected were:
- Housing: Includes affordability, quality, homelessness, ownership, gentrification, and displacement
- Financial Security and Mobility: Includes jobs, employment, income, education, and workforce training
- Behavioral Health: Includes mental health and substance use
- Accessing Services: Includes healthcare, childcare, and social services
The overarching focus is:
- Achieving Racial and Ethnic Health Equity recognizing that institutional racism and structural inequities drive health disparities in the City.
