Lorain County Public Health recently released its 2026-2028 Community Health Improvement Plan.
The purpose of the Community Health Improvement Plan or CHIP is to describe how Lorain County Public Health, hospitals and other community stakeholders will work to improve the health of the county.
The Community Health Improvement Plan is a living, changing document, according to a news release.
A total of 201 community residents participated in in-person interviews and community conversations at events such as the Elyria Farm Market, Lorain County Fair, Lorain International Festival and Bazaar and various school and neighborhood events.
An additional 92 residents completed online community surveys, and 66 youth provided feedback through a “targeted teen engagement survey,” the release stated.
Further input was gathered from eight stakeholder focus groups and discussions across three community collaboratives and five Community Health Improvement Plan subcommittees representing partners from across the county.
Since the last assessment was conducted in 2021, the nation as well as Lorain County has experienced significant political and social change, with shifting policies and priorities that have, at times, created uncertainty in public health, according to the release.
However, these challenges have underscored the importance of collaboration, resilience and staying grounded in a shared mission to improve the health and well-being of all residents, the release said.
Through these turbulent times, Lorain County Public Health and its partners have remained steadfast in their commitment to equity and collective action.
“The (Community Health Improvement Plan) outlines manageable, collaborative steps to direct the community’s work together over the next three years,” said Mark Adams, commissioner at Lorain County Public Health. “We made sure that community voices and lived experiences were central to identifying countywide priorities.”
Over the next three years, community partner groups will implement the strategies outlined in the Community Health Improvement Plan, Adams said.
These strategies will improve population health and create lasting, sustainable change, he said.
Lorain County Health Partners carefully worked at the grassroots level to ensure that the document focuses on existing or pre-planned work.
Because of this process, many internal strategic plans of agencies and community collaboratives have close ties to at least one strategy in the Community Health Improvement Plan.
The Community Health Improvement Plan identifies local priorities within the complex scope of public health and community change, according to the report.
The health priorities identified in the Community Health Improvement Plan are: behavioral health, chronic disease and maternal and child health.
Objective one encompasses reduction of the stigma and increasing community awareness around mental health and substance use disorder, according to the report.
The initiative will be led by Riveon Health and Recovery and the goal is to reach at least 40 percent of Lorain County residents through targeted media campaigns that raise awareness of 988 by Dec. 31, 2028.
Also by Dec. 31, 2028, the report details development of piloting an intergenerational mentorship program between older adults and at-risk youth, which will be led by the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Board of Lorain County.
The report also details plans to impact chronic disease, teaching the population to eat healthier food, mobile and free screenings for early detection of cancer and chronic disease, and others measures to help people live healthier, longer lives.