HELENA — The 2023 annual presentation of the Community Health Improvement Plan took place at St. Peter’s Health this Thursday afternoon
“So, we can identify that we have issues around chronic disease and asthma, for example. But if we don't have a plan to improve it then they're just numbers. And so, it's really important that we not only know from the data what the priorities are but that we as a community agree to a common agenda and work together to improve the health of our community,” says Health Officer for Lewis & Clark Public Health, Drenda Niemann.
The ongoing partnership Healthy Together is made up of various organizations such as St. Peter’s Health, Rocky Mountain Development Council, Lewis and Clark Public Health, and more. This group identified top areas of concern for the Lewis & Clark County area, helping to create the Community Health Improvement Plan of 2022.
“But when we come together that's when really the magic happens and community partnerships then allow for shared resources and shared expertise to get the work done,” says Niemann.
Every three years a new plan is meant to give guidance to local health leaders as to what areas need focus. The top three areas of concern identified for 2022-2024 are chronic disease, behavioral health, and housing.
Thursday’s meeting allowed leaders to discuss what has worked and what has been challenging when facing these issues.
For example, over 750 people have been trained in suicide prevention and mental health awareness thanks to a Mental Health Awareness Training grant. And 5 school districts that are supported by the Suicide Prevention Program are teaching the Signs of Suicide model to students. A challenge that those working in behavioral health are facing includes a lack of county funding for outreach and promotion of 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline.
Amy Emmert, Senior Director of Population Health at St. Peter’s Health, says this Community Health Improvement Plan works best when folks from all around the area give their input.
“That if you want to become involved in this, please do. The more voices we have, the more people giving back to our community, the better off we're going to be,” says Emmert.
