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Berkeley council previews Community Health Improvement Plan and public data dashboard
Summary
City staff presented the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and a demo of a public dashboard that will track measurable CHIP outcomes; council and public focused on a 13‑year life‑expectancy gap between Berkeley neighborhoods and pressed staff for implementation steps and budget alignment.
Mayor Adina Ishii convened a special work session Tuesday to hear a staff briefing on Berkeley’s Community Health Improvement Plan, a citywide blueprint staff described as a community‑driven roadmap to close local health disparities.
Scott Gilman, director of Health, Housing and Community Services, said the CHIP was built from a landscape scan, four focus groups, key‑informant interviews and a community survey, and guided by a 10‑member steering committee. “The purpose of our Community Health Improvement Plan is really to describe how the health department and the community will work together to improve the health of the citizens of Berkeley,” said Tanya Bustamante, deputy director, during the presentation.
Staff previewed a public dashboard due to go live this fall that will publish CHIP metrics and permit residents and policy makers to track progress in real time. Gilman emphasized the plan’s two broad goals — reduce disparities in life expectancy and increase community power — and four priority pillars identified by the steering committee: housing, environmental health, behavioral health and community safety.
The dashboard demo highlighted stark neighborhood differences in life expectancy. Gilman cited a roughly 13‑year gap between some Berkeley Hills tracts (about 91 years) and census tracts in South and West Berkeley (about 78 years), calling the disparity “a call to action.” Staff also flagged recent increases in deaths from drug overdoses and suicide and said behavioral health was elevated as a CHIP priority because of that trend.
Councilmembers questioned staff about methods and next steps. Councilmember Jacob asked how focus‑group participants were selected and whether equity screens were applied; staff said focus groups targeted priority populations (for example, transitional‑age youth and Latino and African American residents) and that deeper analysis would follow in the implementation phase. Gilman said the city plans advisory groups for each of the four pillars and at least annual updates to the council, with initial implementation solutions expected by January–February 2027 after budget decisions are clearer.
Public comment came from steering‑committee members, the Community Health Commission and residents who urged stronger funding commitments, concrete prevention programs, and measurable accountability tied to the dashboard. Andy Katz, chair of the Community Health Commission, said the CHIP “brings new insights” and urged a focus on prevention and result‑based accountability.
What happens next: staff said they will continue community engagement and develop specific, measurable actions during the preparation period through July, and will return to the council with progress updates and proposed accountability measures.
