Creating a Nonprofit Spin-Off to Implement a Community Health Improvement Plan: A Case Study of a Midsize Health Department in the Midwest

Carroll LD, Wetherill MS, Rogers M, Teasdale TA, Salvatore AL

J Public Health Manag Pract 2021 May;():

PMID: 34016903

Abstract

A common problem faced by local health departments is engaging cross-sector stakeholders to achieve shared community goals. Community engagement is critical for effective Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) development and implementation, while also being a standard for health department accreditation. This case study describes one city-county health department’s development of a nonprofit arm to act as a catalyst for connecting community leaders to identify and collaboratively address community health goals. First, we describe our process to develop a nonprofit entity and strategically recruit community members to comprise the founding board of directors. Then, we describe methods employed by the nonprofit to create a community action plan in response to identified community health needs and how we incentivized progress. We evaluated our process using a mixed-methods approach and conclude that a nonprofit arm of a health department can be a novel strategy for effectively engaging community stakeholders to advance community health.

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