Tulsa Health Department making progress on Community Health Improvement Plan

Two years after launching the third edition of its Community Health Improvement Plan, the Tulsa Health Department is working with community partners to tackle some of the biggest public health challenges in the area.

The 2023 plan focuses on three major issues: mental health and stress, chronic disease risk factors and management, and the need for healthy, affordable housing. Leaders say these priorities were chosen based on local data, and the work to address them is ongoing.

Focus areas driven by data and local need

The Community Health Improvement Plan, or CHIP, is a recurring strategy updated every few years. This latest version emphasizes collaboration and innovation to reduce issues like repeat emergency room visits and improve overall quality of life in Tulsa County.

Dr. Leslie Carroll, associate director of the Office of Community Health and Quality Improvement at THD, said progress starts with building strong partnerships.

“The first few years is getting the momentum and the collaboration to hold,” Carroll said. “Then the next step is really to be creative and offer kind of some vulnerability of sharing different resources and approaches to find unified solutions.”

Listening to residents to close service gaps

Dr. Carroll also stressed the importance of hearing directly from the people most impacted by these issues.

“We really want to hear from the community residents,” she said. “Their voice is so important to this process and at every point we're asking for the community to please give us input on how we can best serve our community.”

She added that the department is continuously identifying new gaps in services and barriers that may not have been previously considered.

Community input shapes the future of public health efforts

Officials say the ultimate goal is to reach everyone affected by these issues — and that can’t happen without ongoing collaboration between the health department, partner organizations and Tulsa residents.

To further that mission, the Tulsa Health Department is hosting a public meeting next week focused specifically on affordable housing. That meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 15, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., where community partners and residents can come together to address these data-identified health priorities, get involved and take action.

It will be at the Tulsa Health Department North Regional Health and Wellness Center at 5635 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.