Community Health Improvement Partners

ADVANCE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO PRIORITY HEALTH NEEDS THROUGH COLLABORATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROJECTS: THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY SUICIDE PREVENTION COUNCIL (SPC) IS A COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT FOCUSED ON REALIZING A VISION OF ZERO SUICIDES IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. OUR MISSION IS TO PREVENT SUICIDE AND ITS DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. ON APRIL 1, 2010, THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO AWARDED CHIP A CONTRACT TO FORM AN INTERAGENCY SUICIDE PREVENTION COUNCIL (SPC) TO CREATE AND INTRODUCE A MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES SUICIDE PREVENTION ACTION PLAN FOR SAN DIEGO COUNTY. WITH CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, THE SPC PROVIDES OVERSIGHT, GUIDANCE AND COLLECTIVE SUPPORT TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE SUICIDE PREVENTION ACTION PLAN.INDEPENDENT LIVING ASSOCIATION (ILA) IS A COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT LIVING OWNERS, RESIDENTS AND THE COMMUNITY BY PROMOTING HIGH QUALITY INDEPENDENT LIVINGS. INDEPENDENT LIVINGS ARE PRIVATELY-OWNED HOMES OR COMPLEXES THAT PROVIDE HOUSING FOR ADULTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND OTHER DISABLING HEALTH CONDITIONS WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM THE STRUCTURE AND FELLOWSHIP OF A SHARED HOUSING ENVIRONMENT. THEY SERVE RESIDENTS THAT DO NOT NEED MEDICATION OVERSIGHT, ARE ABLE TO FUNCTION WITHOUT SUPERVISION, AND LIVE INDEPENDENTLY. STABLE AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO ENCOURAGE RECOVERY AND REDUCE INAPPROPRIATE USE OF THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NO STANDARDS OR SUPPORT FOR INDEPENDENT LIVINGS (ILS). FOR CLIENTS LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ON A LIMITED BUDGET, SUCH AS SOCIAL SECURITY, LOCATING AFFORDABLE HOUSING CAN BE AN ENORMOUS HURDLE. HOUSING IS ONE OF THE MAJOR BARRIERS TO RECOVERY FROM MENTAL ILLNESS. INDEPENDENT LIVINGS PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT HOUSING OPTION FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY.

FARM TO INSTITUTION: THE FARM TO INSTITUTION CENTER HAS A TWO-FOLD MISSION: TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY HEALTH BY IMPROVING ACCESS AND CONSUMPTION OF HEALTHY FOODS. TO SUPPORT FARMERS IN CREATION OF A VIBRANT, DIVERSE, AND GROWING LOCAL AGRICULTURAL SCENE. THE CENTER WORKS TO CREATE THIS HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM, FOCUSING PRIMARILY ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN LOCAL FARM AND INSTITUTION AS A PATHWAY OF GOOD FOOD INTO THE COMMUNITY.

THE RESIDENT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY EMPOWERS RESIDENTS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY COMMUNITIES. THIS EMPOWERMENT LEADS TO IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN NEIGHBORHOODS; WITH CHANGES PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES. CHIP DEVELOPED THE RESIDENT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (RLA) CURRICULUM AND TRAINING. THIS 10-SESSION, COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING DETAILS HOW ENVIRONMENTS SHAPE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND HOW COMMUNITY GROUPS CAN ADVOCATE FOR HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS, IMPROVED PUBLIC SAFETY AND INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITIES IN HIGH-RISK NEIGHBORHOODS. THE RLA TRAINING SERIES WAS SUCCESSFULLY PILOT-TESTED IN FOUR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY (OCEANSIDE, SOUTHEASTERN SAN DIEGO, NATIONAL CITY AND LEMON GROVE). THE RLA GRADUATED 51 COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO LAUNCHED 13 NEIGHBORHOOD CAMPAIGNS INCLUDING: FARMERS' MARKETS ENHANCEMENTS; CIRCUIT TRAINING EQUIPMENT INSTALLATION; TRAFFIC SAFETY AND WALKABILITY INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AROUND SCHOOL CAMPUSES AND PARKS; AND CONSTRUCTION OF A POCKET FARM/COMMUNITY GARDEN.