Community Health Improvement Partners

Behavioral health projects: san diego county suicide prevention council. The san diego county suicide prevention council was established in 2012 with the mission to reduce suicides in the county, and it's devastating consequences. The council's vision is zero suicides in san diego county. The work of the san diego county suicide prevention council is driven by the existence of the county's suicide prevention action plan (spap), which was first published in april 2011, and from that point updated every 5-6 years, to meet the community's evolving needs in effectively addressing this persistent public health challenge in san diego county. The spap is based on the institute of medicine's environmental prevention model, which consists of universal, selected and indicated strategies. To this end, the spap contains strategies that include population-based approaches, strategies that target groups confirmed at-risk of suicide, and strategies that target groups potentially at-risk of suicide, representing innovations. Chip has served as programmatic lead and fiscal agent of the san diego county suicide prevention council since 2012, and today, boasts of a robust coalition that consists of 90+ partners (and over 1,100 individuals) that represent a highly effective, community wide approach to save lives, restore hope, alleviate the pain that people are living with, and connect persons at-risk with effective resources. The spc implements the spap through at least 10 subcommittees and ad hoc committees that all work to implement specific work plans representing diverse sectors of the community, and the overall community wide approach. Since 2012, the spc celebrates estimated 20% reduction of suicides in the county, and the lowest rates of suicide in the county since 2010.

The resident leadership academy: the rla is a 10-session, curriculum-based public health leadership program that teaches residents from underserved areas how to become a health advocate for a lifetime, particularly as it relates to addressing issues of public safety, health food access, and the quality of physical activity opportunities in the community. The program was founded in 2011 in partnership with the county of san diego health and human services agency during an initiative focused on obesity prevention called communities putting prevention to work initiative or cppw. This program builds the leadership capacity of local community members to drive the positive change that they would like to see realized in their communities ,without a dependency on public and private organizations. Chip facilitates annual train the trainer workshop series to further disseminate the academy model being taught by a wide variety of diverse organizations across urban and rural communities throughout san diego county. In addition, chip rla conducts numerous supplemental training workshops as well as bi-monthly council meetings, to a growing rla network which consists of 1,750 individuals, countywide. Since its founding in 2011, the rla has been replicated in san diego county over 100 times. Chip rla staff have certified 215 individuals in effective dissemination of the model since founding its train the trainer program since 2013. There are over 1,100 graduates of the rla in san diego county that serve as a critical mass in addressing ongoing public health challenges that continually produce health inequities and disparities.

Farm 2 institutions: 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 farms and education and private institutions as a pathway of good food into the community.