Allegan County Community Partners Release Community Health Plan | WKZO | All Kalamazoo

ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A coalition of several regional agencies has developed a plan for an Allegan County Community Health Assessment.

Ascension Borgess Allegan Hospital, Allegan County Health Department (ACHD), United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties, OnPoint, Allegan County Food Pantry Collaborative (ACFPC), Allegan Area ESA, Gun Lake Tribe, Allegan County Multi-Agency Collaborating Council (MACC) and other agencies.

The goals of the plan, known as CHIP, include access to medical care, behavioral health, food security and housing. The plan also includes how the needs will be met by the agencies involved.

Information from the Allegan CHNA completed earlier this year by community members identified four priority areas, including behavioral health and substance use disorders (SUD), housing, access to care medical and food safety. The CHIP includes common goals, strategies and objectives for the four priority areas, as well as specific tactics on how to implement the identified strategies in the community.

The four objectives of CHIP are:

  • Behavioral health – Increase recognition and treatment of behavioral health issues, including substance use disorders, in Allegan County.
  • Lodging – Strengthen the housing sector in Allegan County and increase collaborative solutions.
  • Access to medical care – To increase the capacity and use of a patient-centred, community-embedded, quality care system for residents of Allegan County.
  • Food safety – Increase the availability of healthy food options for residents, while expanding additional food resources in Allegan County.

CDHA Health Officer Angelique Joynes said, “We are very grateful to be working with these different organizations to align resources. The CHIP process brings these efforts together with a shared vision, maximizing resources to work together to address these priority areas. Together; fighting for a healthier Allegan County.

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