Health Department worked with Catholic Health, Kaleida Health and ECMC to develop a report of health in Erie County and a blueprint of plans for improving population health
After 18 months of research and planning, the Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) has completed its Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). This work, coordinated with leaders from Catholic Health, Kaleida Health, Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) and Live Well Erie, fulfills New York State Department of Health requirements and establishes a roadmap for improving population health over the next six years.
“Our Health Equity team and local hospital systems have created plans that connect concrete, valuable actions with aspirations about how we will improve our residents’ health,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “Our collective priorities to focus on mental health, housing stability, nutrition security and employment, represent urgent and persistent community needs, and we are ready to get to work together.”
“This is foundational work for Live Well Erie, and informs our countywide efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of older adults, children and working families,” said Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera. “Our initiatives are grounded in evidence, not created in isolation. Reports like these are driven by data, shaped by lived experience and delivered with expert analysis, and they are a springboard to progress.”
“We are bringing partners and programs together to build a healthier, stronger community for everyone, with a process and a plan that are rooted in equity,” said Office of Health Equity Director Kelly Marie Wofford. “Health outcomes are shaped by the systems in which people live, work and learn. When we can address and remove barriers in our areas of focus, we create opportunities for every resident in Erie County to achieve their maximum health and wellness.”
The CHA provides a comprehensive review of the health and well-being of the people who live in the county. The 2025-2030 CHA report has three main sections:
- Community Description, which describes the geography, population and demographics, and hospital systems within the county
- Social Determinants of Health, which explores data on the community factors that influence health
- Health Status Description, which explores local data on life expectancy, mortality, and a range of health conditions
Key findings from the CHA include:
- Examining statistics that are specific to individual demographics, such as race and ZIP code, is crucial to realizing the diverse experiences and outcomes among the various communities within Erie County.
- The COVID-19 pandemic impacted many aspects of health and life. Trend data throughout this CHA shows notable differences in rates of risk factors and outcomes, primarily in the years 2020 and 2021 as a result of policies and control measures during the pandemic as well as direct impacts from the virus.
- Communication and information access, and adult literacy affect the ability of residents to connect with resources to meet their basic needs.
The CHA report includes data sources built from community research conducted by the ECDOH and hospital partners in addition to existing publicly available data. Community input that was collected through research specifically for this CHA-CHIP included:
- 2,510 community survey responses
- 143 medical provider survey responses
- 8 health care provider interviews
- 5 interviews with parents of children enrolled in the Erie County Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) program
- 4 focus groups with community members
This input was also used in the process of selecting CHIP priorities. The CHIP is a blueprint of plans to achieve specific goals for community health improvement, informed by extensive input from local grassroots and community-based organizations, other Erie County departments, and elected officials.
The CHIP focuses on four health conditions or community factors as priorities, selected through a ranking process using input from community research and community partner voting. The result was a set of ranked issues based on perceived issue scope, issue severity, the ability to positively affect the issue considering local capacity and willingness to address the issue. Also considered were the current resources, solutions or programs already working to address the issue.
This process resulted in the selection of the following priorities for the CHIP:
- Mental Health (anxiety and stress)
- Unemployment
- Nutrition Security (food access)
- Housing Stability and Affordability
The CHIP details interventions and strategies to address these priorities, including asset mapping related to multiple priorities, campaigns to raise awareness of existing resources, and pilot programs. The Erie County Department of Health will continue to meet with the local hospital systems and community-based organizations throughout the 2025-2030 CHA-CHIP cycle to monitor progress and reassess objectives as needed.
View the full CHA-CHIP report on the ECDOH web site.
