The Community Health Assessment (CHA) is a report that highlights data gathered on the health status of San Mateo County residents. For San Mateo County, most data in the CHA comes from the Health and Quality of Life survey. This survey is important because it is not limited to physical health measures but also captures information on factors that influence health. The factors include, but are not limited to: affordable housing, childcare, education, employment, air and water quality, civic participation, neighborhood safety, access to health care services, physical activity, etc.

The data reported in the CHA will be used to identify health needs and priorities. The survey collected data from over 3,000 adults and included over sampling of key populations (for example, Latinos, African Americans, Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+ individuals, low-income populations, and individuals from the coast). The data set is more comprehensive than other sources of data for San Mateo County; therefore, it is an excellent source of information to make data-driven decisions. The CHA is part of a broader community engagement process to identify and implement health improvement activities.

You should attend the forum to provide input on your community’s health needs and priorities. This is the first step in developing the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). It is important to have a strong community voice in this planning process. This also provides the opportunity to hear directly from community members on health needs that might not be highlighted in the CHA that should be considered in developing the CHIP. 

No, the forums are being repeated in different areas of the county to make it easy for people to attend. The information and process for getting feedback will be the same at each forum, so there is no need to attend more than one.

You should expect the following:

• An overview and summary of data from the Health and Quality of Life Survey and other sources
• An opportunity to share information about your health or the health of your community that may not have been highlighted in the data.
• You will be asked to choose health needs that should be the priority focus for health improvement for the next three years.

Dinner will be provided at the forum, and community members will be given a $25 gift card for their participation.

After the community forums, the information and health priority recommendations shared at all forums will be compiled to determine health priorities for the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). A Community Health Improvement Plan kick-off meeting will be held to review the priorities identified at the CHA forums and determine three health priorities for the Community Health Improvement Plan.

The goals for this process include:

• Developing and improving engagement with community members to identify and guide health priorities
• Communicating and seeking feedback on the strategic planning process from internal and external partners 
• Creating an actionable strategic plan that will lead to improved health outcomes 
• Establishing a meaningful partnership with community for strategic planning and shared decision-making 

The CHA was developed using the Health and Quality of Life survey. Over 3,000 San Mateo County adults completed the survey with over sampling of key populations (for example, Latinos, African Americans, Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+ individuals, low-income populations, and individuals from the coast). The data set is more comprehensive than other sources of data for San Mateo County. PHPP will present a summary of the CHA data that highlights San Mateo County’s health status and needs to seek community feedback. Six CHA Community Forums will be held throughout the county (four English and two Spanish) to gather community feedback on the data. This is also an opportunity for community members to share their experience related to health needs that are included in the CHA data. 

In collaboration with community members, community partners organizations, and PHPP staff, the CHIP will highlight prioritized health concerns and outline strategies for health improvement action. The CHIP will consist of a virtual prioritization session that will result in no more than three health priorities. Workshops will be held for each identified health priority. The workshops will result in the development of goals, objectives, and strategies for each health priority. Once the priorities are identified, a CHIP steering committee will be developed to help in the development of the CHIP. The committee will consist of subject matter experts on the health priorities identified, community stakeholders, and PHPP staff.  A CHIP implementation plan will be developed to monitor, review, and update progress on the CHIP goals with community stakeholders. 

The PHPP Strategic Plan is an internal plan that is guided by community input through the CHA and CHIP. The CHIP will most likely include health priorities that are not under the direct scope of PHPP programs (i.e., mental health, maternal and child health, older adult health, etc.). Therefore, the CHIP will be considered in providing context for overall health improvement whereas, the PHPP strategic plan will serve as our operational workplan. The strategic plan will outline PHPP’s mission, vision, and values. It will also consist of PHPP priorities, goals, and strategies specific to the work and scope of the division’s programs.  The plan is intended to engage all levels of PHPP for input, feedback, and plan development. The plan will be developed utilizing multiple opportunities for input including but not limited to an in-person kick off session, key informant interviews, virtual listening sessions, and a staff survey. Once the plan is developed a schedule will be created to monitor, review, and share progress on the PHPP plan as well as make adjustments to the plan goals and objectives as needed. 

To find more data on different communities or health topics, you can explore the San Mateo County All Together Better (SMCATB) data portal. The data portal is sponsored by Public Health, Policy, and Planning (PHPP). This site contains San Mateo County data on health outcomes, health behaviors, health care access, and socioeconomic conditions. Indicators are disaggregated by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and/or geography. You can also view reports, including the 2023 Community Health Needs Assessment: Health & Quality of Life in San Mateo County. PHPP will also be publishing additional data briefs and uploading new indicators to the SMCATB data portal in 2024.

According to 2023 Claritas data, there are 740,014 residents living in San Mateo County. For more population data, visit the Demographics Dashboard on the San Mateo County All Together Better data portal.

Developed by the Public Health Alliance of Southern California, the Healthy Places Index (HPI) maps socioeconomic factors that impact life expectancy and other health conditions. A score is calculated based on 23 different indicators for various geographies including counties, zip codes, and census tracts. Scores range from 1 to 100, where lower scores indicate less healthy conditions and higher scores indicate healthier conditions. Various San Mateo County initiatives have used the HPI to guide programs and policies toward health equity-driven goals, including selecting neighborhoods for COVID testing and vaccination outreach and identifying priority neighborhoods for the Community Health Assessment.