CHIP - Community Health Improvement Plan

Using the information that was gathered in the CHA, including the input of over 1,500 individuals who live, work, learn, or play in the Greater Worcester region, a process began to create this Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). (click the link to see the poster). A CHIP is used as roadmap for health improvement over a 3-5 year period and guides the investment of resources of not only the health department, hospitals, and health plans, but of any and all organizations that have a stake in improving health for the residents of Worcester and the surrounding communities.

CHIP Vision

Worcester will be the healthiest city and CMRPHA the healthiest region in New England by 2020. 

One Goal: Health Equity

Community members who participated in the CHA and partners alike agree that every member of the community deserves the opportunity to be healthy. To that end, health equity is not one goal among many, it is the goal.

Three Core Principles

• Invest first in the community
• Empower, listen to, and respect community
• Eliminate gaps between services

Nine Priority Areas

• Racism & Discrimination
• Substance Use
• Access to Care ⇒ The theme of this year’s WooHealth Hack
• Mental Health
• Economic Opportunity
• Cultural Responsiveness
• Access to Healthy Food 
• Physical Activity
• Safety

The CHIP is intended to be a living document, with adjustments and course corrections being made on an annual basis to maximize impact and success of implemented initiatives. The Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester, in partnership with the Worcester Division of Public Health (click the link to see more details), holds the responsibility for ensuring implementation of this Plan, though success will not be achieved without the commitment of hundreds of organizations and decision-makers. The objectives of this CHIP are intended to provide a framework for health improvement through 2020, providing a roadmap to becoming the healthiest city and region in New England by 2020.

2019 WooHealth Hack theme: Facilitating Physical Access to Care

Create a well-coordinated, respectful, and culturally-responsive environment that encourages prevention of chronic disease, reduction of infant mortality, and access to quality comprehensive care for all.

1. Increase the number clinicians who provide care for culturally diverse, low income patients at Worcester’s Community Health Centers by 10%. 

• Reevaluate and recalculate Worcester’s community HPSA score to increase recruitment of national health service corps scholars.
• Assess, develop, and fund workforce development initiatives that support the local pipeline of licensed professional health care workers from Worcester academic institutions including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, dentists, behavioral health clinicians, psychiatrists, and others to our community health centers.

2. Decrease rates of re-hospitalization and preventable use of emergency departments by 15% through a “no wrong door” approach to coordinating preventive services.

• Publicize & promote a community calendar of insurance enrollment outreach events and open hours for enrollment support in the community for use of all community organizations.
• Promote awareness of WRTA personal transportation services among healthcare and health professionals.
• Increase the number of, use of, and reimbursement for trained, culturally-diverse community health workers available to support area residents in accessing care and services in the community.
• Establish or improve referrals from free clinics to ongoing primary care and other needed services.
• Improve connections between clinical and community providers to improve health outcomes such as asthma, hypertension, oral health, sexual health, and injuries, especially for underserved and vulnerable populations.
• Increase the distribution of the resource booklet produced by the Worcester Community Connections Coalition at area health centers, hospitals, community based organizations, and other locations.
• Increase the capacity of schools, through nursing services or school-based health centers, to provide screening, testing, treatment, and referral to services for school-aged children.

3. Improve cultural awareness, responsiveness, and competence to improve the patient experience at area health providers to make Worcester a welcoming community of choice for culturally diverse residents as measured by ongoing qualitative data collection.

• Coordinate a quarterly series of free customer service trainings for direct health care staff in Worcester.
• Provide additional mechanisms for clinical providers to collect and review community voice concerning barriers to care, discrimination, cultural considerations in care, and gaps in services.