Mercy Health Cincinnati Launches Community Health Improvement Plan to Address Community Health Priorities

Story and photo courtesy of Mercy Health

WARREN COUNTY, OH  -- Mercy Health – Cincinnati announced the launch of its Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), a three-year roadmap designed to address the health priorities identified by residents, community organizations, and public health leaders across the region.

Developed through the months-long Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) process, the plan reflects feedback from community members and local stakeholders, combined with health data and community trends, to identify the issues having the greatest impact on health and well-being throughout the region.

Over the next three years, Mercy Health – Cincinnati will focus on three key priorities: mental health, housing stability, heart disease and stroke prevention. One area of particular focus is mental health treatment and prevention. The CHNA process highlighted that the percentage of adults with depression in the region has risen by 93% over the last 27 years, with 1 in 5 adults reporting frequent mental distress.

“Moving the needle on these priorities will take more than health care alone. It will require concerted, collective effort to address the root causes of our community’s health challenges," said Kanako Kashima, Community Health director, Mercy Health – Cincinnati.

The Community Health Improvement Plan outlines strategies and investments focused on all three priority areas identified by the community. Efforts will include expanding connections to community-based behavioral health services, strengthening housing stability and homelessness prevention initiatives, and increasing support for heart disease and stroke prevention through community-based education, screenings and resource connections. Together, these initiatives reflect a coordinated approach to improving health outcomes across Greater Cincinnati.

Achieving meaningful progress will require collaboration across the community. Among the most important partners advancing this work are the Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Health Care Access Now, Cradle Cincinnati, Cincinnati Development Fund, Produce Perks Midwest and Dispensary of Hope. These organizations bring expertise and trusted community relationships that are essential to advancing the plan's goals.

One example of how the CHIP is already being put into action is the Mercy Health Partnership Program, which integrates Community Health Workers into patients’ support systems to help address barriers such as housing instability, food insecurity, transportation challenges and medical bills. The program connects patients and families with resources such as charitable medications through Dispensary of Hope, tenant advocacy through Housing Opportunities Made Equal and nutrition prescriptions through Produce Perks Midwest, helping improve access to services that address social drivers of health and support better outcomes.

Mercy Health – Cincinnati CHIP is one of 11 plans recently launched across Bon Secours Mercy Health. While each plan reflects the unique needs of its local community, all reinforce the ministry's commitment to improving health outcomes, advancing health equity and addressing the social and economic factors that influence health and well-being.

“Community health is about looking beyond the walls of our hospitals and understanding the factors that shape health in people’s everyday lives,” said Gina Hemenway, system director of Community Health, Bon Secours Mercy Health. “This work challenges us to think differently about how we support our patients, families and communities and to build partnerships that can address barriers to health in meaningful, lasting ways.”

The Community Health Improvement Plan for Mercy Health – Cincinnati is available at: https://www.mercy.com/about-us/mission/giving-back/community-health-needs-assessment

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