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Health department unveils five‑year Community Health Improvement Plan focused on equity, housing and mental health
Summary
Town health staff presented a Community Health Improvement Plan that lays out a five‑year, equity‑centered agenda to address core social determinants of health, and proposed near‑term actions including a human‑services navigator and childcare capacity initiatives.
The Town of Brookline Health Department presented the Community Health Assessment and five‑year Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) on March 18. Assistant Health Director for Policy and Programs John Pashinski summarized results from a two‑year, ARPA‑funded process that combined quantitative data, a state collaboration on a community survey, focus groups and stakeholder interviews.
The CHIP organizes strategies into four priority areas: - Financial security (economic stability, jobs and childcare access), - Access to social and health services (a new human services navigator role and community health workers), - Housing stability (coordination with Brookline Housing Authority and legal services for tenants), and - Mental and behavioral health (expanded community‑based locations, telehealth and promotion of belonging).
Pashinski said the plan emphasizes racial equity as a cross‑cutting priority and includes measurable objectives and a year‑one implementation table identifying lead organizations, resources and timelines. For example, the plan calls for exploring guaranteed/portable income pilots (with community foundations as potential implementers), increasing no‑ and reduced‑cost childcare slots, and creating a human services navigator position that will centralize referrals and resource navigation.
Board members asked for clarity about achievable numeric goals and funding sources; staff said the plan is a living document and that many initiatives will rely on partnerships, grants and targeted town funding requests. The department said it will stand up steeering and working groups to lead implementation and return to the Select Board with a year‑one action plan and budget ties.
