Involving Residents to Create a Healthier Community

CHIP, a health improvement project, brings together local residents and healthcare providers to find ways to improve residents’ health and address their health and healthcare needs.

Partners in this shared commitment include:

• Pioneer Memorial Hospital
• OHSU’s Oregon Office of Rural Health
• Oregon Rural Practice-Based Network

CHIP at Work

More than 100 rural communities nationwide use the CHIP model. It relies on a partnership among a broad community base of members to identify local healthcare issues and needs, giving residents a voice in what they want in healthcare services. The partnership also provides a way to create programs and projects to respond

Goals of the Partnership

The Partnership has six interrelated goals:

• Improve the health status of area residents
• Involve as many people as possible in decision-making
• Expand awareness of the health system’s resources and of issues facing healthcare delivery
• Develop local leadership through training and experience in decision-making
• Support the creation of projects and programs to meet identified community needs
• Educate residents about the role healthcare plays in economic development

Crook County  CHIP Making Strides

Crook County CHIP workgroups focus on four community-identified health priorities

Dental

Increasing access and reducing demand for emergency dental services by providing additional preventative care and community-wide oral health education.

Programs under development include:

• Coordinating fluoride program with elementary schools, Head Start and Boys & Girls Club
• Establishing a Tooth Fairy Fund to provide basic preventative dental services and oral health education for low-income, uninsured and OHP children, and to provide limited emergency care

Healthy Lifestyles

Reducing adult obesity and diabetes, and their related health issues, by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices through physical activity, nutrition awareness and health education.

• Health Fest, Sept. 13, 2008, introducing residents to physical activities available in Prineville
• Resource Directory of physical activities and facilities

Mental Health

Aimed at enhancing communication and collaboration between existing resources, improving community awareness of those resources and helping increase mental health services and funding opportunities.

Prevention

Improving children’s overall health by developing preventative programs for childhood obesity, substance abuse/use and adolescent health, including teen pregnancy. Projects include:

• Crook County High School Student Health Fair 2008
• Co-sponsorship of national speaker Brad Henning, teaching kids what healthy relationships can be – presented at high school and middle school

Become a CHIP Partner

Everyone in our community can contribute to the discussion of local healthcare. You and your organization can be part of CHIP!

If you would like more information on CHIP, please call Sharon Vail at 541-447-6254, ext. 380.