In 2016, the Worcester Division of Public Health, Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester (CHGW), UMass Memorial and Fallon Health, released the 2016 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The CHIP spans nine priority areas, with 31 objectives and 100 strategies with measurable outcomes. The focus is on social determinants of health, with health equity as the overarching goal. This goal will only be achieved if we empower, listen to, and respect community voices throughout the CHIP implementation process. CHGW presents a mechanism for community participation. A community-based structure which is open, transparent, and provides support in all areas of implementation, is being developed. A Steering Committee of residents and representatives from different sectors provides overall direction. Subcommittees provide support in each of four areas - community engagement, resource and development, research and evaluation, and policy and advocacy. Quarterly meetings in each priority area provide structure for reporting progress being made and requesting support. The Community Engagement subcommittee will work to build and maintain participation for each group which is universally inclusive and representative of the diverse organizations and residents of the region. The group will create a plan for ongoing community engagement at each stage of the process and in each focus area. The Research and Evaluation subcommittee, in addition to measuring progress for each strategy, will develop benchmarks for evaluating community engagement. We anticipate improved progress toward CHIP outcomes as the community becomes more involved and is more representative of the population, driving momentum toward health equity
