The landscape of community health in Sedgwick County, Kansas, is shaped by continuous assessment and improvement initiatives. A key element in this process is the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), a structured, multi-year effort aimed at pinpointing priority health concerns, formulating actionable strategies, and ensuring accountability for measurable health enhancements within the community. The 2019 cycle of these initiatives, particularly the data and insights gathered, would have been highly relevant to discussions at events like the 2019 Community Care Network Of Kansas Annual Conference Program.
The development of the CHIP is a phased approach, beginning with a comprehensive assessment and moving through strategic implementation. In Sedgwick County, the CHIP development for the 2023-2025 cycle commenced in Fall 2022, following a six-step process designed to ensure community-driven and data-informed decision-making.
This process emphasizes collaboration and community engagement. In October 2022, over 70 representatives from various healthcare and community organizations in Sedgwick County convened to analyze health data and community feedback. This collaborative session was crucial for identifying and prioritizing the health issues that would form the focus of the 2023-2025 CHIP. Participants carefully considered a range of health indicators and community needs to select key areas for targeted intervention. Ultimately, four critical health issues were chosen as priorities: Healthcare Access, Mental Health, Education, and Food Access.
To provide a robust foundation for these priorities, participants reviewed extensive local, state, and national health data. This data, presented at the meeting, covered not only the four selected health issues but also nine other priority health areas initially considered for the CHIP. This thorough data review ensured that the selected priorities were grounded in evidence and reflective of the most pressing health needs in Sedgwick County. These types of data-driven discussions are often central to the programs and learning at conferences like the Community Care Network of Kansas Annual Conference, where sharing best practices in community health improvement is paramount.
Following the selection of priority areas, the CHIP process moved into the action planning phase. Starting in January and February 2023, partner organizations formed workgroups dedicated to each of the four health issues. These workgroups began the crucial task of developing specific strategies and interventions. As part of establishing baseline data and tailoring their efforts, some workgroups focused on specific ZIP codes within Sedgwick County in March 2023. This targeted approach allows for a more granular understanding of health needs and facilitates the development of localized interventions. Reports generated from this focused work provide valuable insights into the unique challenges and opportunities within different communities in Sedgwick County. Examples of these targeted reports include those for ZIP codes 67214 and 67216, focusing on Education Workgroup findings.
Furthermore, resources like the “Languages Spoken in Sedgwick County” document highlight the demographic diversity of the region, underscoring the need for culturally competent and accessible health initiatives. For those directly involved in the CHIP workgroups, a SharePoint portal was established to facilitate collaboration and resource sharing, although access requires login credentials.
The Community Health Assessment (CHA) is the foundational data collection and analysis process that precedes and informs the CHIP. The CHA provides a comprehensive overview of the community’s health status, needs, and challenges by systematically gathering and analyzing health data and incorporating community input. This detailed assessment is crucial for guiding resource allocation and ensuring that health initiatives are effectively targeted to meet the most pressing community needs. The CHA essentially lays the groundwork for the strategic direction of the CHIP.
The Sedgwick County Health Department (SCHD) CHA is structured into three key components, ensuring a holistic and in-depth understanding of community health.
The 2022 Community Health Assessment for Sedgwick County provides a detailed report on the community health planning activities undertaken in 2022. This report encompasses the methodologies used for Community Listening Sessions, the Community Health Needs Assessment, and the Community Health Profile, and also includes a summary of the 2022 Community Health Summit. The Community Listening Sessions, completed in 2022, are a vital component of the CHA process, directly engaging community members to gather firsthand perspectives on health needs and concerns. A report summarizing the findings from these sessions was scheduled for publication in September. Additionally, the 2022 Community Health Assessment Disparities Report specifically examines health disparities among different groups within Sedgwick County, focusing on indicators such as self-reported health status, health insurance coverage, and mental health. External resources, such as the Ascension Via Christi 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment, provide further insights into significant health needs across the county. All of this data is accessible through the CHA Data Dashboard, offering an interactive platform for exploring community health data.
The historical context of community health planning in Sedgwick County is also important. Archives of past initiatives, such as the 2020-2022 Community Health Improvement Plan, provide valuable insights into the evolution of health priorities and strategies over time. Dashboards and annual reports from previous CHIP cycles offer a longitudinal view of progress and outcomes. Similarly, the 2019 Community Health Assessment, including the Community Listening Sessions and Needs Assessments, provides a baseline understanding of community health from that period. These archived resources are essential for understanding the trajectory of community health improvement efforts in Sedgwick County. The discussions and findings from the 2019 Community Health Assessment and the planning for the subsequent CHIP would have been highly relevant and potentially presented at conferences like the 2019 Community Care Network of Kansas Annual Conference Program, allowing for broader dissemination of knowledge and best practices in community health across the state.
For those seeking further resources on community health assessment and planning, platforms like KS Health Matters, County Health Rankings, and the Kansas Health Institute offer valuable data, tools, and information. KS Health Matters, supported in part by the Community Care Network of Kansas, provides a centralized location for community health data and resources in Kansas. County Health Rankings highlights the impact of various factors on community health, and the Kansas Health Institute offers state-level health policy and research insights. These resources, along with the detailed work being done in Sedgwick County, exemplify the ongoing commitment to improving community health in Kansas, a commitment that is often showcased and strengthened through events like the Community Care Network of Kansas Annual Conference.
