This week’s blog is from JaLisa Jordan, Program Manager for Live Healthy Spartanburg.

Live Healthy Spartanburg seeks to achieve health equity and improve health outcomes for all Spartanburg County residents.  The health collaborative is thrilled to announce the completion of Spartanburg County’s 2022-2025 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)! Findings from the 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) were used to identify and prioritize the community’s health-related needs. After many months of uncertainty through a global pandemic, we have restructured our organization and reignited the CHIP process.

A community Data Walk was hosted in conjunction with SC DHEC this past Spring to explore how Spartanburg County health outcomes compared to the state of South Carolina. The following priority areas were selected:

• Access to Care
• Behavioral Health 
• Chronic Health Conditions
• Resilient Children & Families

The CHIP is composed of goals and strategies around each priority area developed through consistent engagement with key community partners and residents. It is intended for this plan to guide the collective work of partners, and leverage resources to improve the health and overall well-being of the community. The health collaborative strives to address health inequities present in the community by evaluating upstream social determinants of health factors that significantly impact the health status of Spartanburg County residents. Committees under LHS include access to care, birth outcomes, policy, CHIP, and community engagement which drive the work of collaboration and work together to achieve health equity for all. 

Live Healthy Spartanburg understands that the burden of poor health often leads to premature death. In Spartanburg County alone, there is a 17-year life expectancy gap in neighborhoods just a few miles apart. Currently, health outcomes, life expectancy, and quality of life are not equitable for Spartanburg County residents, as they are across the United States. Live Healthy Spartanburg and collaborative partners acknowledge that access to basic healthcare is a human right and is not synonymous with racial inequities present in society today. 

Spartanburg has its own historical challenges which have influenced how residents live, work, and play daily. This CHIP is an invitation for stakeholders and residents alike to influence action in their own communities.  You can access the full report here! The CHNA began the process of accessing qualitative and quantitative data on factors that influenced the health of the community, the CHIP is where communities and organizations convene to take actions toward building a community of health, together!

For more information about how your community or organization can develop an action plan around a health priority please contact JaLisa Jordan at JJordan3@srhs.com .