Healthier Community Alliance

Long Range Strategic Plan

2001 - 2005

 

HCA shares the stated vision from the Emporia/Lyon County Strategic Direction, 2000 and Beyond:

Our vision is to improve the security and well-being of individuals and families in the Emporia community through diverse agencies and business working cooperatively to provide high quality health care, education, employment, and economic opportunities that foster self-reliance, lifelong learning, quality of life, and a sense of planned community growth and prosperity.

 

The mission of the Healthier Community Alliance is to plan, coordinate and mobilize resources to build a healthy community.

 

The Healthier Community Alliance ascribes to the following definitions:

 

Healthier:     The identification of human needs and seeking to satisfy these needs is the focus for this group.  The Alliance prepared the long range strategic plan to serve as a working action plan to solve identified community needs.  The organization depends on its members to encourage awareness and to identify issues.

Community:  The primary focus for this organization is Emporia and Lyon County.  Because Emporia serves as a center for the Flint Hills region, this group will work with our neighbors in cooperative efforts in terms of improving the quality of life for people in our region.

Alliance:       The Healthier Community Alliance, as an organization, does not have financial resources to tackle the needs of the community.  The intent is to bring people together as a team working toward solutions.  The Alliance seeks to maximize the resources that are available to build a healthier community.

This Alliance intends to:

-promote a philosophy of prevention rather than crisis intervention

-coordinate public and private funding sources to support community interventions

-make decisions that are data driven

-address effectively and efficiently the needs for children and families

 

 

GOAL ONE: Enhance the availability and utilization of resources which meet the needs of people in Lyon County.

 

Outcome Measure One: Facilitate Access of Resource Directory for All

Strategies

A.                Work with ESU - School of Library & Information Management (ESU/SLIM) to create the community resource data base structure.

B.                Develop plan for ongoing maintenance/revision of community resource directory.          

C.                Explore funding for community wide computer access to the community resource directory.

D.                Secure funding for community wide computer access to the community resource directory.

Outcome Measure Two: Maximize the Financial Resources Available to Build a Healthier Community

Strategies

A.          Develop a grant writing support group.

B.          Develop data sharing methodology to track types of information available from participating grant writing support group members.

C.          Create web site with list of grant opportunities and pending grants submitted by  participating grant writing support group members or other Healthier Community Alliance (HCA) members.

D.          Explore funding to support strategies identified in the HCA Strategic Plan.

 

GOAL TWO: Reduce high risk health behaviors of people in Lyon County.

 

Outcome Measure One: Increase Awareness and Understanding of Depression and Various Options for Treatment

 

Strategies

A.           Conduct the national depression screening within the community.

B.           Provide presentations to medical staff regarding primary care of depression.

C.           Provide inservices to school personnel regarding depression in the school age population.

D.          Provide presentations to human resource professionals regarding depression in the workforce.

E.           Work with the public library to increase the library’s holdings (both print and nonprint) regarding depression.

F.           Explore additional prevention interventions that could be implemented within the community.

 

Outcome Measure Two: Increase Awareness and Understanding of Domestic Violence and Various Options

 

Strategies

A.          Increase victim safety.

B.          Work with law enforcement and the legal system to increase perpetrator accountability.

C.          Monitor local policies, rules and procedures related to domestic violence.

D.          Create a plan for comprehensive data collection.

E.           Develop a community coordinated response to domestic violence.

F.           Implement a community summit on domestic violence.

 

Outcome Measure Three: Increase Awareness and Understanding of Heart Healthy Behaviors

                                                            

Strategies

A.           Provide consistent messages and continuing presence through programs and activities.

1.  Plan programming to coincide with special months and existing activities

2.  Explore possibility of additional community programs and activities

B.           Network with other health care organizations to increase awareness and enhance each others efforts.

1.  Establish opportunity for coordination with AHA, ACS, ALA, ADA, and local organizations to maximize media contacts and promote involvement

C.           Develop programming which encourages heart healthy behavior and reduces high risk behaviors associated with cardiac risk factors.

1.  Identify target audiences and develop programming (seniors, Hispanic population, corporations/businesses, school-age, college-age)

 

Outcome Measure Four: Increase the Percent of Women in Lyon County who Receive Adequate Prenatal Care (as defined by Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s, Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization Index).

Strategies

A.          Create a task force to identify key issues and contributing factors to the problem of women receiving inadequate prenatal care in Lyon County.

1.  Consider adequacy of prenatal care

a.  When prenatal care initiated

b.  Access to prenatal care

2.  Consider adequacy of utilization

a.  Number of prenatal care visits once care has been initiated

b.  Consider role of culture

B.          Develop interventions to increase the percent of women receiving adequate prenatal care.

 

GOAL THREE: Promote individual economic well-being in Lyon County.

 

Outcome Measure One: Promote Safe and Affordable Housing in the Community

 

       Strategies                                                                                

 

A.     Network with area housing providers to see what is needed, avoid duplication of services, and collaborate on programs and projects. 

B.     Work with City officials to establish a minimum rental code. 

C.     Offer educational presentations to the community on the topics of home purchasing, home maintenance, fair housing, predatory lending, and the need for State legislation on predatory lending. 

D.     Educate community lenders and businesses on the Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing’s Tax Credit program which could help fund local housing improvement and new construction for low-income residences. 

E.      Seek solutions to the lack of emergency housing assistance in the community. 

F.      Establish a tool lending library and education program to assist low-income homeowners in completing home maintenance tasks. 

G.     Establish a HUD funded Fair Housing FHIP or FHAP agency in the community. 

H.     Coordinate community activities regarding fair housing in April, in observance of National Fair Housing Month.  Observance will include offering a free annual housing related seminar for members of the community and activities at local schools.

 

Prepare an online rental resource guide for individuals seeking housing.  The guide will list community rental properties, owners, owner or manager contact information, and complaints filed.

 

  

Outcome Measure Two:   Support the implementation of a community wide career center

 

Strategies

 

A.     Review current One-Stop Center progress to date as mandated by the Workforce Development Act of 1998

B.     Form working committee composed of each of the required partners outlined in WIA that already have Memorandum of Understanding signed with current One Stop Operator (Emporia Workforce Development Center)

C.     Add additional members to the committee including, but not limited to, the Chamber of Commerce President, City Manager, City Commissioners, County Commissioners, Local Workforce Investment Board, Area V Members, Kansas Workforce Investment Partnership member and consumers of service

D.     Determine appropriate location of One-Stop Career Center

E.      Create infrastructure/policies for One-Stop Career Center

F.      Develop electronic linkages for employers and customers

 

Outcome Measure Three:  Strengthen Family Friendly Practices Within the Business Community

 

Strategies                                                                          

A.     Develop a packet of information on Family Friendly Practices

B.     Market the information on Family Friendly Practices to the business community

C.     Promote Family Friendly Practices through the Chamber Vision newsletter

D.     Continue to foster an interactive relationship between HCA and the Emporia Area  Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau.

 

 

Outcome Measure Four: Decrease the Number of Births to Mothers Without High School Diplomas

 

Strategies                                                                          

 

A.     Additional strategies to be presented at the Quarterly HCA Meeting

B.      

 

GOAL FOUR: Children live in stable, supportive families.

 

Outcome Measure One: Establish a Family Resource Center.

 

Strategies

1. Introduce the concept of a family resource center to the HCA members and the community at large.

2. Identify interest and possible resources.

3. Develop a plan for implementation.

 

Outcome Measure Two: Children have a safe, nurturing environment to grow and thrive.

 

Strategies

A.     Develop a plan to increase quality, affordable, available child care.

B.     Identify methods to increase participation in supervised, structured, alternative activities for children and adolescents by 20%.

 

Outcome Measure Three: Coordinate and promote parenting services.

 

Strategies

A.     Promote collaboration among individuals/agencies that provide parenting services.

B.     Develop a marketing plan that would increase media coverage and promote positive parenting.

C.     Increase attendance/participation in existing parenting services.

D.     Determine need for any additional parenting services.

 

Outcome Measure Four: Increase access to supportive services that promote family wellness.

 

Strategies

A.     Develop plan to increase access to health insurance.

B.     Design additional interventions to decrease the incidence of teen pregnancy and support existing programs focused on teen pregnancy.

C.     Develop plan to increase developmental screenings.

D.     Design additional interventions to decrease the incidence of chemical use/abuse and support existing programs focused on preventing chemical use/abuse.

E.      Secure funding for the development of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic Clinic.

Healthier Community Alliance Long Range Strategic Plan

Healthier Community Alliance By Laws    Member Listing

Meeting Schedule    Meeting Minutes