CHIP’s mission is to advance long-term solutions to priority health needs through collaboration and community engagement. We assess community health needs, educate, and advocate to create policy, systems and environmental change which reduce health disparities. Our community health priorities are to: - Reduce and Prevent Obesity - Promote Mental and Behavioral Health - Increase Access to Healthcare - Improve the Social Determinants of Health - Prevent Violence and Injury Our programs and initiatives include: - Resident Leadership Academy - San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative - Chula Vista Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) - Lemon Grove Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Zone - Farm to School Task Force - Nutrition and Healthcare Leadership Team - Independent Living Association - Suicide Prevention Council - Health Literacy San Diego - CHIP Public Policy Committee “We Believe”: - Total well-being includes optimal health; emotional, physical and mental health, as well as the environments and social conditions in which we live - Based on this definition of health, making our communities healthier requires work on societal issues and system-change - It is critical to empower individuals and communities to improve their total health because that is the only way changes becomes sustainable - Addressing these issues is complex and requires participation at multiple levels; it does not happen system-wide and in a community building way on its own - When we have the right players in the room and an environment conducive to safe collaboration, amazing things can happen Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP) was initially formed in 1995 to meet the requirements of California Senate Bill 697 a law that required private, non-profit hospitals to conduct a triennial community needs assessment.