The Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) Network is made up of people who are interested in making our region a healthier, more equitable place to live, work, and play. The CHIP Network’s vision is that all residents of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region will have the opportunity to pursue healthy lifestyles, to participate in shaping the systems that affect their health, and to achieve social, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
The CHIP Network collaborates to:
- Identify priority health needs and disparities and the factors that contribute to them
- Build on our strengths by identifying current resources in the community to address priority health issues
- Identify and support the implementation of effective strategies for addressing priority health needs
- Reduce gaps and duplication in services
- Increase our collective ability to secure resources to improve health in our region
The Network meets several times each year to hear updates from the CHIP work groups and to learn from people who are making our region a healthier, more equitable place to live, work, and play. We’d love to see you there!
CHIP Network Meeting Dates
Save 3-4:30PM on your calendar for these Wednesdays in 2023:
January 18, March 22, May 31, September 6, and November 8.
To subscribe to the CHIP email list or get connected with CHIP working groups, contact Jen Audley.
The CHIP Network was established in 2016 with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and has been sustained with funding from Baystate Health, the Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds, and the MA Office of Rural Health.
We are in the implementation phase for the 2021-2023 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).
- 2021-2023 3-year plan – 2023 update (PDF, 470 kb)
- Poster showing 2021-2023 strategies sorted by health factors (PDF, 213 kb)
- CHIP Legislative Priorities for 2023-2024 (193rd Session) (PDF, 270 kb)
Below are the primary goals for the 2021-2023 CHIP Plan. Each area has a workgroup from within the larger network who collaborate to move the goals forward.
Community Supports for Young People
Goal: Support and strengthen the Communities That Care Coalition in its efforts to delay the age at first use of addictive substances for all youth, with a particular focus on those disproportionately affected, including LGBTQ youth, youth of color, youth from families with low incomes and DCF-involved youth.
Mental Wellness and Resilience
Goal: Increase individual and collective resiliency by building the capacity of peers and community-based groups to strengthen social connectedness for those experiencing depression and/or anxiety.
Active Living and Healthy Eating
Goal: Support the FRCOG’s Transportation and Open Space & Recreation planning efforts, Mass in Motion, Age-Friendly Franklin County, and food justice and systems change initiatives to continue to evolve the built environment to reduce barriers to active living and healthy eating.
Resources
Materials from CHIP Network Meetings
- March 2023: CHIP Network Meeting: Legislative Advocacy, Community Behavioral Health Center, 413Cares
- Jan 2023: CHIP Network Meeting: 2023 Kickoff!
- Nov 2022: CHIP Network: Legislative Priorities Pitch Event
- Sept 2022: CHIP Network Meeting – Youth Health Equity Focus
- May 2022: County Health Rankings release & discussion with our state legislators
- April 2022: CHIP Network Meeting – Food Justice focus
- March 2022: CHIP and Communities that Care Present: Youth Mental Health Data and Panel Discussion
- Feb 2022: CHIP Presents – Baystate Franklin Medical Center’s New Family Medicine Residency Program
- Feb 2022: CHIP Network Meeting – Year 2 Kickoff featuring Highlights, Next Steps, and a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) Listening Session
- Nov 2021: CHIP Network Meeting – Local Initiatives that Are Improving Health for Older Adults
- Sept 2021: CHIP Network Meeting – 2021-23 Progress Updates
- June 2021: CHIP Presents – “Legislative Advocacy 101: How to Support Bills and Budgets That Improve Health and Health Equity in Massachusetts”
- April 30, 2021: CHIP Presents: The 2021 County Health Rankings & Legislative Priorities
- April 2021: CHIP Network Meeting
- February 2021: CHIP Network meeting – Action Plan Launch | Meeting Recording (38 minutes) and Slides (PDF, 30 pages)
Franklin County/North Quabbin Community Health Improvement Plan 2017-20
- 2017-2020 Franklin County/North Quabbin Community Health Improvement Plan
- 2017-20 CHIP Priority Health Improvement Strategies
- 2017-2020 CHIP Progress Report
2019 CHIP Materials:
- 2019 County Health Rankings slideshow For the national rankings themselves, click here.
- 2019 Progress Report, July 2019
- Presentation given at the 2018 Year in Review and 2019 Priority Setting meeting: CHIP SLIDES 2019.1.29 PDF
- 2019 CHIP Priority List
- Mini-grant Application Form: Funds for Community Voices
2018 CHIP Materials:
- 2018 CHIP Progress Review meeting schedule 2018
January 10 2018 — 2017 CHIP Review and 2018 Ranking Presentation Slides
2017 CHIP Materials:
The 2017–2020 plan prioritized 22 distinct evidence-based strategies with 79 associated activities to improve health outcomes for people in Franklin County and the North Quabbin. This report documents progress made…
This document represents a snapshot of the evidence-based strategies identified for the 2017-2020 Community Health Improvement Plan for the Franklin County and the North Quabbin region to address the key…

Jen Audley
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Phoebe Walker
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