Community Health Improvement

Community Health Improvement aims to improve health equity and access to quality healthcare, that integrates behavioral and physical health, across Southwest Washington. We aim to strengthen a robust rural health network of community and health-based organizations addressing rural health needs and behavioral health care to maximize collective resources and support a workforce framework to build capacity.

Collaboration

Community Health Improvement partners with community and health-based organizations to maximize collective resources.

Our Values

Coordination

CHI convenes partners on key initiatives and programs to enable them to work together effectively.

Leverage community strengths

CHI identifies and leverages community strengths to meet community and organizational needs.

Our Work

Southwest Washington Accountable Community of Health’s (SWACH) newest department expands our reach on important topics like rural health networks, opioid use disorder and substance use disorder (OUD/SUD), and Community Assistance Referral and Education Services (CARES). 

  • CHI is committed to addressing opioid use disorder and substance use disorder (OUD/SUD) across Southwest Washington. Program efforts to meet the needs of our region include:

  • CHI aims to support and sustain a robust rural health network, specifically in Klickitat and Skamania counties. Highlights of this work include:

    • Development of a community asset map

    • Rural health network support

    • Workforce development framework

  • CHI also strives to improve access to behavioral health and the integration between physical and behavioral health across Southwest Washington. Elements of this work include:

    • Clark County CARES Collaborative is a partnership between Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue, Camas-Washougal Fire Department, and Clark County Fire District 3 to reduce emergency services and acute care utilization for community members of Clark County.

      • Community members are identified for the program by EMS providers, HealthConnect Hub, and other healthcare providers. Community Assistance Referral and Education Services (CARES) utilizes paramedics, social workers, fall specialists and nurses as a multidisciplinary team. The CARES program offers resource navigation, medication reconciliation, fall risk and home safety assessment, chronic disease education/management, medical documentation education, and community member accountability.

    • Klickitat Community Link Project (K-LINK) is a collaboration of community partners serving western Klickitat and eastern Skamania counties to improve the health of individuals and the community as a whole.

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