Community Health Improvement Plan

In collaboration with community partners, the Public Health Department has developed the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) for residents and stakeholders within its jurisdiction. Developed after  reviewing data from the Community Health Assessment and other sources,  the CHIP is a comprehensive document outlining a five-year plan that identifies priorities, goals, objectives, and strategies aimed at improving the health and well-being of residents in the City of Racine.  

Community Health Assessment

The Community Health Assessment establishes the overall health status and identifies the top health concerns facing residents in the City of Racine. These were determined through individual telephone surveys done in partnership with Ascension Wisconsin, Advocate Aurora Health and several other community organizations, and through analysis of the 2024 County Health Rankings.

This section includes demographic information and data related to individual and community health in Five Priority Areas which correspond to the 2023-2027 State’s Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). The Priority Areas include:

• Social and community conditions

• • Economic well-being

• • Supportive systems of care
  • Healthy Housing
• Physical, mental, and systematic safety
• Person and community-centered health care
• Social connected and belonging
• Mental and emotional health and well-being

 

As part of the Community Health Assessment, key stakeholders, informants and residents in our community who participated in the survey, ranked their top social and economic issues as well as their top health conditions and behaviors that must be addressed to improve the overall health of the City of Racine residents. The top five priorities are listed below in order of importance:

       Social and Economic issues

1. Economic, Stability, Including Employment and Income
2. Safe and Affordable Housing
3. Community Violence and Crime 
4. Education Access and Quality
5. Accessible, Affordable and Quality health Care

 

       Health Conditions and Behaviors 

1. Mental Health, Mental Conditions and Suicide
2. Alcohol, Drug/Substance Use and Tobacco/Vaping 
3. Access to Affordable Health Care
4. Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
5. Chronic Diseases 

 

For further detail and information into our survey results and community health assessment, read the Racine County Community Health Survey Report 2024 or the Racine County Community Health Survey Summary 2024.  

Community Health Improvement Plan

The information and data resulting from the Community Health Assessment was collected and analyzed in order to establish the Focus Areas for the Community Health Improvement Plan. For each of these Focus Areas, the Public Health Department designed goals, measurable outcomes, and implementation strategies aimed at addressing selected health concerns. These goals were determined based upon overall priority, overall need, and where the Public Health Department and its partners will be able to make the biggest impact, with the highest budgetary efficiency, to improve the health of the Racine community.

The Focus Areas include:

• Address Social and Community Conditions that Lead to Health Disparities (Inclusive of Homelessness and Environmental Hazards)
• Decrease Overdoses through Harm Reduction Program (Targeting Opioids) 
• Reduce the Transmission of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)