Healthy Boulder County

2017 Community Health Assessment

Every five years, each local public health agency in Colorado uses data to examine the health of the community they serve and identifies solutions to address the important health issues found in the assessment.

2017 Assessment Goals

1. Complete the community health profile, informed by community voice and existing public health data
2. Engage community members, especially those experiencing inequities, to hear their voices and include them in assessment decision-making
3. Select one health-linked priority area, informed by community input, public health data and PHIP executive leadership, for focus by the next public health improvement plan (PHIP)

Opportunities to Provide Input

Boulder County Public Health is committed to improving health among all community members and to removing unnecessary and unjust barriers to health. However, there are many difficult issues to tackle. Members of the public are invited to help select a health priority for action. The area selected will receive increased resources from Boulder County Public Health throughout 2018-2020.

If you’re interested in hearing about opportunities to help select the health focus area for Boulder County for the next three years, please provide your contact details below.

Public Health Improvement Process (PHIP)

Working Together for a Healthy Boulder County

In 2011 we partnered with the community to identify and prioritize the most pressing health issues affecting our community. Community partners and stakeholders identified three specific areas of strategic focus to improve the health of our county. The three focus areas were prioritized from over 40 key health issues using local health data and by assessing the magnitude, severity, and actionability of each issue.

2012 – 2017 Focus Areas

• Healthy Eating & Active Living
• Improving Mental Health
• Reducing Substance Abuse

A complete review of the process to date, including details about models and frameworks, assessments, prioritization, and evaluation is detailed in the Public Health Improvement in Boulder County report.

Public Health Improvement Process Guiding Principles

The impetus for selecting only three priority areas for the Public Health Improvement Process was to allow the community and BCPH to dive deep into key issues to make impactful change.

Collective Impact

The process is guided by Collective Impact principles which have been used nationally to significantly improve important community outcomes such as increasing high school graduation rates, reducing youth substance abuse, and increasing physical activity among youth. The term, coined by Mark Kramer and John Kania, is also considered an important approach by the White House Council for Community Solutions.

Health Equity

Health Equity is integral to the Public Health Improvement Process. The process prioritizes indicators, interventions, strategies, and goals to improve health among those most impacted by specific health issues.

Health Improvement Efforts Across the State & Nation

• The State of Health: Colorado’s Commitment to Become the Healthiest State
• Healthy Colorado: Shaping a State of Health: Colorado’s Plan for Improving Health and the Environment 2015-2019
• Colorado’s Community Health Assessment & Planning Process
• Colorado Network of Health Alliances
• Healthy People 2020: US Health Indicators
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: County Health Rankings

Get Involved

The Public Health Improvement Process is a community effort. Join us!

Stay Connected

Receive monthly updates about the Public Health Improvement Process and articles and resources related to any one or all of the three topic areas:

• Healthy Eating and Active Living
• Improving Mental Health
• Reducing Substance Abuse