The Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) will continue work on the Franklin County and North Quabbin region’s Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) in early February, looking at ways to make a difference on priority health issues, including decreasing rates of youth substance abuse, Type 2 diabetes, anxiety and depression.
Three working groups have been discussing those issues over the past year, and on Wednesday, Feb. 3, they will share some of what they’ve learned. The groups began meeting early in 2020, first in person and then switching to virtual meetings when the pandemic hit in March.
FRCOG’s Community Health Improvement Plan Coordinator Jen Audley said the priorities chosen came from a needs assessment that Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield does regularly to identify the most pressing issues of the area.
FRCOG’s Director of Community Services Phoebe Walker said the past 10 months of the pandemic have been a “stark reminder of the urgent need to do the kind of silo-spanning health improvement work the CHIP network was founded to do.”
“The devastation of the COVID pandemic has laid bare the racial and economic health disparities in our country, state and region,” Walker continued. “It’s clear that we need everyone to have equitable access to a better public health system, better housing, more coordinated health care, education, employment and the arts.”
Audley said along with finding ways to decrease rates of youth substance abuse, and deal with anxiety and depression while helping people connect socially — especially during a pandemic — the three working groups will also look at how to reduce the barriers to healthy eating and exercise that contribute to Type 2 diabetes.
Most recently, Audley managed the local prevention coalition called the Gill-Montague Community School Partnership. In doing that work, she collaborated with schools, businesses, youths, parents, school nurses, law enforcement agencies and more.
“Through that work, I became interested in CHIP and started participating as a stakeholder,” she said.
Audley said while much of CHIP is data-driven, she wants to see much more community involvement over the next year and beyond.
“Residents will have the opportunity to be much more involved in shaping the system that affects their health,” she said. “The groups have detailed plans, objectives, and know in what direction they’re headed. Now it’s time to share that information and work with others to head in those directions.”
Audley said during Wednesday’s meeting, people will have the opportunity to listen to the working groups they are most interested in, but also to share with people in those groups or even join one.
“Each group will be building a road map,” she said. “They’ll be looking at how much money will be needed to accomplish goals, who they need to talk with, etc. Working groups will meet regularly this year on the first Wednesday of April, June, September and November.”
Audley said it is important that health equity be a top priority, and recognizing that not everyone has the same opportunities to become healthy.
The meeting on Wednesday will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. To register, visit bit.ly/CHIP21231. A link for the meeting will be provided before it begins.
For more information, visit frcog.org/chip, or contact Audley at 413-774-3167, ext. 126 or jaudley@frcog.org.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.