Thurston County residents can help set the county's health priorities at a public workshop on Nov. 20 in Tumwater.
Thurston County Public Health & Social Services (TCPHSS) will host the Collaborative CHIP Workshop from 8 a.m. to noon at the Labor & Industries building, 7273 Linderson Way SW. The Community Health Improvement Plan, or CHIP, turns priorities identified in the county's Community Health Assessment into action, according to the county's event page.
The workshop will focus on three areas drawn from that assessment: affordable housing and homeless response, substance use and misuse services, and access to care and behavioral health.
The Community Health Assessment collected input from more than 1,800 Thurston County residents on topics including neighborhood crime and safety, healthcare access, social support and violence-related trauma, according to a ThurstonTalk article.
TCPHSS Director Jen Freiheit said public input helps planning meet real-world needs. "People who live and work in Thurston County understand the challenges, strengths, and opportunities within their communities," Freiheit said, according to ThurstonTalk.
Freiheit stressed the plan is not exclusively a Health Department project. It is an effort to identify shared priorities and develop strategies for organizations and residents to work on together, she said. After the workshop, TCPHSS will organize workgroups to carry action items forward.
The two sources describing the plan's timeline differ on its length. ThurstonTalk's article said the workgroups would operate over two years. The county's event page describes actions spanning three years.
No public health background is needed to attend. The workshop is open to nonprofits, community and faith-based groups and individual residents. RSVPs are encouraged at surveymonkey.com/r/TCPHSS-CHIP, but walk-ins are welcome.
Residents with questions can email [email protected].
