Lewis and Clark Public Health and St. Peter's Hospital have teamed up to convene a comprehensive effort to identify public health priorities in Lewis and Clark County, as well as strategies and resources to address them.

This "community health improvement planning" process, or CHIP, is an opportunity to develop a common agenda for the entire community. It will help all of us to focus our energy and resources and support policies, projects, and programs that will be most effective in improving the health of the people we serve.

The result of the CHIP process will be a Health Improvement Plan that will cover more than the roles and responsibilities of the health department. It will describe how the health department and other community organizations can work together to improve the overall health of the people we serve.

The plan will be developed during a series of meetings with a task force made up of representatives of the local public health system.

For more information about the Community Health Improvement Planning process, contact Damian Boudreau, Systems Improvement Manager, Lewis and Clark Public Health, 406-457-8908.