Pierce County Residents Can Weigh In on Community Health Priorities

Obesity, diabetes, health equity, health care reform: What community health issues do you think are the highest priorities?

If you have something to say about these and other health concerns that impact our community, the Tacoma- Pierce County Health Department wants to hear from you.

In partnership with Franciscan Health Systems and MultiCare Health System, the Health Department is developing a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) to prioritize community health issues and concerns.

To help develop community health priorities, the Department and the non-profit hospital systems will gather comments, ideas and input about Pierce County health issues in a series of workshops. The group will then use those priorities to develop the CHIP.

You can make your voice heard at any of the following workshops:

• Dec. 3: 4:30-6 p.m., Pierce County Library, Lakewood branch, 6300 Wildaire Rd. SW
• Dec. 10: 4:30-6 p.m., Pierce County Library, Puyallup branch, 324 S. Meridian
• Jan. 9: 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Pierce County Library, Bonney Lake branch, 18501 90th St. E
• Jan. 10: 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Pierce County Library, Gig Harbor branch, 4424 Point Fosdick Dr. NW
• Jan. 15: 10:30 a.m.-noon, Tacoma Public Library, Olympic Room, 1102 Tacoma Ave. S.

Workshops are only one element of the community health prioritization process. Organizers have also conducted stakeholder meetings with community leaders and community surveys.

Once complete, the CHIP will include specific action steps on behalf of organizations from across the county to employ their resources, specific mission and particular focus to address the health needs of the county. Non-profit organizations, public agencies, businesses and other entities will be able to use the plan to focus their attention and resources on the most critical community health issues in our county.

For more information about CHIP and the role you or your organization can play, contact Karen Meyer at (253) 798-4581 or kmeyer@tpchd.org.