What is the CHIP?
The CHIP is used as a roadmap for health improvement over a five year period and guides the investment of resources. This plan informs the use of these resources for WDPH, hospitals, and health plans, and all organizations that have a stake in improving health for the residents of Worcester and the surrounding communities.
How was the CHIP developed?
This CHIP was developed over a 16-month planning process.
2018 Community Health Assessment - identified priority populations and mental health, substance use, chronic/complex conditions and social determinants of health (SDOH) as complex issues.
2020 Gap/Root Cause Analysis - identified core focus areas for the CHIP:
Shortage of Providers & Beds
Integrated Care Responses
Screening & Early Intervention
Comprehensive Health Education and Literacy.
COVID-19 **added as focus area
SDOH **added as focus area
2020 - ~9 CHIP Cohort Leaders recruited for community conversations
2020 - 2021 - Community conversations facilitated: 97 people were interviewed through 35 private community conversations facilitated by the 9 Cohort Leaders. Community conversations were kept private as a best practice for providing a safe space for participants to authentically share their thoughts and experiences in their responses. Private conversations were held either in a one-on-one setting, or in a small group. The decision to be individual or group was determined by the Cohort Leaders and each person who signed up to engage in a conversation.
Who is involved in the CHIP?
Each conversation participant was asked to complete an optional survey to collect anonymized demographic data. While full agency was provided to each individual to determine if they would like to complete the survey, the CHIP Evaluator encouraged survey completion as a means of holding the process accountable to documenting a diversity of lived experiences.
88% of conversation participants completed the survey. The Community Conversation Demographic Report revealed a wider breadth and depth of community perspective than if we had only spoken to health and —human service professionals and municipal leaders.
77 out of the 79 respondents responded "yes" to the final question “Do you bring lived experience with challenges in any of these areas?”.
Respondents were allowed to select multiple experiences. Based on the priority populations, 20 specific lived experiences were listed that people could choose from, and they could also add their own in the “write your own” option.
Some takeaways from the survey include that 51.9% of respondents had experience with mental health issues and/or mental health services.
50.9% reported having experienced bias or discrimination.
27.3% of respondents shared that they, a family member, or a friend had experience with substance use disorder and/or addiction.
29.9% of respondents shared they had experience with chronic pain or illness. Documenting the lived experiences of those interviewed was critical to the process of authentic community engagement and community-based research because change needs to be
Our Principles
Invest first in the community
Elevate, listen to, and respect the community's voice
Eliminate gaps between services
Honor trauma-informed approaches to care with equal measure to resilience approaches to care.
CHIP timeline
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Defining Health Equity
In the CHIP and all our work, our overarching goal remains to be health equity. We define health equity as “Attaining full health potential and wellness as experienced and honored through one’s many intersecting identities (race, sex & gender, sexuality, socio-economic status, ability status, immigration status, religion, etc.), and that of their family and communities” (Samantha Calero, Adapted from the Boston Public Health Commission, 2019).
Structure & Implementation
The 2021-2026 CHIP plan has 1 overarching goal of health equity through a racial lens, 12 policy change campaigns, and 6 community action agendas necessary to enact structural changes toward improved health for all. The plan is implemented, tracked, and evaluated by the Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester and the Worcester Division of Public Health/Central Massachusetts Regional Department of Public Health with the ultimate goal of health equity. The CHIP has 3 sections:
