Waukesha County

Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) 2022-2026

Every 5 years, Waukesha County Public Health conducts a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) for Waukesha County. This is a national, comprehensive approach to assess community health, develop and implement action plans to improve community health, and monitor results. In a CHIP, "health" is defined broadly and includes physical health, mental health, environmental health, and other areas that contribute to overall well-being.

A CHIP engages key community members to systematically collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative health-related data from a variety of sources. The findings then inform community decision-making, the prioritization of health issues, and the development and implementation of action-oriented community health improvement plans.

The process includes the use of a CHIP Steering Committee for Waukesha County, representing key sectors of the community, to include healthcare, government, nonprofits, business, education, faith-based organizations and consumers, provides essential leadership over the five year process. You may find the linked documents below, helpful in gaining a better understanding of our community's health status.

The first linked publication below (on the left) is the Community Health Assessement, which is compilation of all four assessments made during the 1st year of the 2022-2026 CHIP Cycle, in the MAPP Process (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Process). The 2nd document (Health Status Assessment & Data Report) is part of the MAPP Process, that focuses on collecting data to understand the community's health status and serves as a starting point for the MAPP process.

CHIP Vision

Vision for a healthy Waukesha County is: An inclusive and well-connected community supporting all people, embracing diversity, ensuring equitable access to services, and creating social, physical, and economic environments that promote health, well-being and quality of life. The strategic health priorities for the 2022 - 2026 Cycle are: MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE USE & HEALTHY AGING.

CHIP Steering Committee Co-Chairs

Ben Jones, Health Officer, Waukesha County HHS
Andy Dresang, Executive Director, Community Engagement, Froedtert Health

Mental Health Tri-Chairs

Daniel Shine - Community Outreach & Education Mgr., NAMI
Liz Arndorfer - Lead Clinical Therapist-Inpatient, Waukesha County HHS
Amanda Wisth - Manager of Community Benefit & Impact, Froedtert Health

Substance Use Tri-Chairs

Hailey Nenonen - Director Community Benefit, Aurora Advocate Healthcare
Brea Lopez - Integrated Services Supervisor, Waukesha County HHS
Sara Carpenter - Vice President, Wisconsin Community Services

Healthy Aging Tri-Chairs

Sarah Butz - Director of Community Benefit, ProHealth Care
Mary Smith - ADRC Manager, Waukesha County HHS
David Carroll - PhD, LP, Assistant Clinical Professor of Behavioral Health Psychology, School of Education & Human Services, Carroll University

CHIP Facilitator: Terri Phillips

We asked the Public Health Strategy Supervisor, Frances Thomas, what is different about the CHIP process this cycle?

"The Waukesha County CHIP team has shifted the narrative. We stopped thinking of health as something you get at the doctor’s office but instead as something that starts in our families, in our schools and workplaces, in our playgrounds and parks, and in the air we breathe and the water we drink. The more you see the problem of health this way, the more opportunities you have to improve it. The conditions in which we live and work have an enormous impact on our health, long before we ever see a doctor. It’s time we expand the way we think about health to include how to keep it, not just how to get it back. This work is not done alone, it demands collective community effort to life barriers and improve population health." - Frances Thomas.

Pictured below: Steering Committee & Action Team Tri-Chairs met mid-year, 2023, to discuss the integration of Results Based Accountability within the Community Health Improvement Plan.