Farmington Valley Health District publishes five‑year Community Health Improvement Plan after yearlong assessment

The Farmington Valley Health District on a recent episode of its Health Matters program outlined a five‑year Community Health Improvement Plan developed from a yearlong Community Health Assessment and community engagement process.

"As your local health department, we ensure conditions in which we all can be healthy and thrive," said Jamie Dujak, community health associate at the Farmington Valley Health District, opening the program that described the CHA and resulting CHIP.

The CHA combined local data and community input to identify priorities and guide the CHIP, officials said. Olivia Morris, the district’s epidemiologist, said the assessment drew on multiple sources — including the decennial census, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Connecticut School Health Survey — and that the written CHA is about "80 pages" and is available on the health district’s website.

"This was our first ever comprehensive CHA that was done," Morris said, adding the analysis looked at health behaviors, health outcomes, infectious diseases and leading causes of death. She said the assessment also included focus groups with social services directors from constituent towns to understand challenges faced by more vulnerable residents.

From that work the district identified three primary, interlocking priorities for the CHIP: healthy eating and active living (HEAL); mental health; and optimal well‑being for older adults (Thrive). Justine Ginsberg, the district’s community health coordinator and educator, said the plan is intended to be practical and actionable across the Farmington Valley’s 10 towns.

On HEAL, officials said the plan looks beyond individual behavior and toward systems and environments that make healthy choices easier. "We're really thinking about what are the resources that exist that people can use to be physically active," Dujak said, citing partnerships with parks, the YMCA, employers and social services. The CHIP includes strategies such as workplace wellness outreach and school‑based nutrition supports.

Mental health is a cross‑cutting focus in the CHIP, the presenters said. "The biggest common denominator in anything we do in health related activities is mental health," Ginsberg said, describing work that ranges from Mental Health First Aid training in schools to suicide‑prevention QPR training for community leaders and Narcan training for overdose reversal.

For older adults, the Thrive priority emphasizes keeping people healthy, independent and engaged. Ginsberg cited programs such as Matter of Balance and a local "Steps to Safety" effort that coordinates emergency responders, senior centers and other resources to reduce fall risk and support aging in place.

Speakers also said the CHIP will evolve. The district leaders noted an additional focus on emerging environmental health issues — including heat, flooding, drinking‑water advisories and greater risk from vectorborne disease — as climate effects shift local health risks. "We are trying to understand what data is out or what indicators are out there to help us measure the impact of climate change on public health," Morris said.

Officials said the plan is a living document shaped by subject‑matter work groups and community partners, and invited residents to review the CHA and CHIP and join work groups at fvhd.org. "If you have interest ... in our community health improvement plan and getting involved ... you are more than welcome to," Dujak said.

The program also listed concrete next steps: the district will review work‑group progress, refine strategies based on emerging evidence and continue outreach to recruit community members and partners to implement the CHIP.

No formal votes or regulatory actions were reported during the broadcast; presenters described the CHIP and next steps rather than adopting a legislative or binding administrative action.