In partnership with Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC), Rappahannock Area Health District (RAHD) has published the FY23-FY25 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). This plan was developed in conjunction with more than 100 community partners and organizations collaborating for four months throughout Planning District 16, which includes the City of Fredericksburg, as well as Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford counties.
This plan comes as a direct result of the findings from the Community Health Assessment (CHA), which was also a collaborative effort between RAHD and MWHC, along with a large group of community partners and organizations. The CHA was developed over a seven-month period in which surveys, key informant interviews, and secondary data collection all came together to paint a picture of the state of the region’s health (click here to view the CHA).
From this data, the community took part in a multi-step prioritization process to identify the District’s top three priorities: mental health, affordable housing, and access to healthcare.
Representatives from various partnering organizations then came together to offer strategies to address the priorities and set goals. This process resulted in the creation of 43 strategies to address the major concerns of the community. Addressing those strategies will entail an enormous amount of work and commitment by the community.
“We encourage everyone to review the strategies that were developed and determine where they may be able to add value. Everyone can make an impact on our community; everyone has something to offer. Let’s acknowledge the good work that people are doing and ask how we can be supportive,” said RAHD Health Director Dr. Olugbenga Obasanjo.
“The voice of our community and the needs of the people we serve have always been at the heart of the work we do at Mary Washington Healthcare. This partnership with RAHD and other community organizations represents our shared dedication to the health and well-being of the Fredericksburg region,” said Xavier Richardson, Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer, and President of Mary Washington Hospital and Stafford Hospital Foundations.
The CHIP Core Team of RAHD and MWHC will continuously accept new recommendations for CHIP strategies, and will review them quarterly (October, January, April, and July). Suggestions must relate to the existing goals and objectives, and are subject to approval by the Core Team.
View the Community Health Assessment here, and the Community Health Improvement Plan, here. To provide input, contact Devyn Bell ([email protected]).
