PeaceHealth Siuslaw Region sponsored a Community Health Improvement Partnership (CHIP) to determine the health care needs of the community of Florence and to put a plan of action into motion to meet those needs. 

The Partnership was comprised of twenty-seven community members who agreed to participate in a joint community development process to assess health care needs and to implement programs to improve community health. They met from April through October 2004 engaging in a dynamic educational process that focused on health issues and barriers in the vision of a healthier community. The project was funded by a budget of $45,000 contributed by PeaceHealth and the Office of Rural Health at Oregon Health and Sciences University. 

CHIP functioned as a bridge that proactively connected PeaceHealth Siuslaw Region and the community in a true partnership working together to create a healthier environment. The community-wide forum ‘Voices and Choices for Healthcare’ along with over one hundred ‘Key Informant Interviews’ from the perspective of local residents empowered Partnership members with a deeper knowledge and understanding of the underlying issues. Summation of the resulting information identified the six priority health issues and committees for action were formed. Some of the benefits of the CHIP experience to both Florence and PeaceHealth have been:  

Community Benefits

• Broad community engagement in a development process to improve community health

• The opportunity to have input into and to make decisions about the selection of the six health priorities, actions to address them and budget amounts

• Training about the local health care system, interviewing techniques, and leadership skills

• $45,000 for implementation of programs to improve community health

• Increased awareness of PeaceHealth and other services

• A plan to increase recruitment and retention of medical providers

• The creation of new programs and resources such as:

  • ‘Shape Up Across Oregon’ that targets obesity and promotes physical fitness

  • A Fall Prevention Program that conducts in-home evaluations and supplies free materials to reduce the incidence of falls

  • A hypertension program

  • A new and improved medical service directory

PeaceHealth Benefits

• A better understanding of community needs in healthcare

• Improved community relations by demonstrating PeaceHealth’s commitment to exceptional medicine and compassionate care

• $26,000 in funding of a committee that will work with PeaceHealth on medical provider recruitment and retention, and a hypertension program

• A strong relationship with OHSU’s Office of Rural Health

• Training for staff who participated as partners  

Here at PeaceHealth Siuslaw Region, we are extremely proud of our local community and the activated and caring residents that we serve. To be able to partner, plan, and provide with the Florence area has been changed from dream to reality. We would like to thank all of the members of this project for their sincere dedication and commitment to the health and well being of this region. Thank you for helping us carry out our mission of healing, compassionate care, and exceptional medicine.

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