Health Focus Areas

Healthiest Polk County 2015 is a community call to action for individuals, stakeholders, and organizations across Polk County to come together to improve the following four health focus areas:

1. Physical Activity
2. Adequate, Appropriate, and Safe Food and Nutrition
3. Tobacco Use and Exposure
4. Mental Health

So whey were these health focus areas identified in Healthiest Polk County 2015?  It is important to remember that a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is about population-based health, as opposed to health care that addresses the health of individuals.   This means we look broadly at the health of our communities.  The CHIP process begins first with mobilizing individuals, organizations, and stakeholders.  Then, a comprehensive Community Health Assessment (CHA) occurs.  The purpose of the CHA is to assess the current health of communities by looking at various health data, risk factors, drivers of health, evidence based strategies, local capacity, and so forth.  From here, the Community Health Improvement Plan begins to take shape by identifying health focus areas, developing measureable objectives, indicators, and strategies for each.   The final step in the process is a Call to Action for individuals, families, organizations, and communities to participate in making Polk County the healthiest county in Wisconsin by 2015.     

A link to each Health Focus Area can be found on the left hand side of this page.  Simply click on the Health Focus Area to explore health data, objectives, indicators, and strategies for each.