Council hears update on Dublin Wellness Alliance; advisory committee to meet twice yearly and Council Member Keeler named liaison

City staff on Aug. 25 updated the Dublin City Council on the community health needs assessment and the new Dublin Wellness Alliance, the initiative that will carry out the assessment's strategic action plan. Staff said the advisory committee and four work groups have identified four priority health needs and 9 objectives with 30 action steps that will guide work through the first round of implementation.

"The final community health needs assessment strategic action plan was approved by council at the meeting held on March 3," said Molly Steiner, a staff member leading the presentation. "The advisory committee was formed to help guide the community health needs assessment project and was involved in determining the first 4 health priority areas of focus." Staff said the four priorities are healthcare navigation, transportation, youth behavioral health and community connections.

Steiner told council the initiative will be branded and launched as the Dublin Wellness Alliance; the project team has secured dublinwellnessalliance.org as a central website and plans a coordinated communications rollout this week. Work-group members include representatives from the major area health systems, public-health experts, social-service agencies and community partners. Staff said many objectives can be achieved through in-kind staff and volunteer time; for 2025, roughly $70,000 of resources are potentially available from already approved operating funds and a proposed use of police seizure funds for youth behavioral-health outreach materials.

Council members asked about the advisory committee's expected cadence and composition, and whether students and unconnected residents would be included. Steiner said the advisory committee is expected to meet about twice a year and would be used again to reassess priority needs as objectives are completed. Council members recommended adding youth and resident representatives to the steering committee and asked staff to link the alliance site to other city and partner websites to increase visibility.

Council member Annie Keeler was designated to serve on the advisory committee by council motion and roll call. Staff said updates will be included in the city manager's monthly report and that staff will return to council after each advisory-committee meeting (about twice yearly) to report progress. "We are currently in discussion with Sentaro to utilize a community health worker as part of our city agreement with them and hope to have this individual in place by 2026," Steiner added regarding one near-term staffing objective.

Public comment was taken but no members of the public addressed the item. Council members complimented staff and partners for the assessment and the clear, measurable objectives; several urged that the alliance site be linked from other city pages and that the advisory committee include youth representation.