Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs)

A community health improvement plan (CHIP) uses information gathered from a community health assessment (CHA) or community health needs assessment (CHNA) to identify priority health issues and develop strategies to address them. CHIPs are long-term and systematic initiatives that involve collaborative and community-wide effort. CHIPs can identify and address both specific health issues as well as environmental, business, economic, housing, land use, and other topics related to social determinants of health (SDOH).

The goals, objectives, and health indicators included in a CHIP vary greatly depending on the needs of the specific community. A CHIP should be tailored to the findings of a CHA or CHNA and reflect the context, priorities, and SDOH of the local community. For example, in a rural area of New Hampshire, a local multi-sector council developed the Monadnock Community Health Improvement Plan to focus on five priority issues: behavioral health, emergency preparedness, food access and healthy living, healthcare access, and protective and risk factors.

Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP)

The Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) framework is commonly used for developing CHIPs and CHAs/CHNAs. MAPP is a community-driven strategic planning process that provides structure for communities to assess health issues and align resources across sectors to address those issues.

The MAPP framework highlights six steps towards the development and implementation of CHAs and CHIPs:

1. Organizing and engaging partners to structure a planning process
2. Visioning to create a shared community and common values
3. Collecting and analyzing data about community health
4. Identifying and prioritizing strategic issues facing the community
5. Developing goals, strategies, and an action plan relates to health issues
6. Taking and sustaining action to address priority goals and objectives