HELENA — County health officials gathered to discuss strategies to improve the health of residents over the next few years, and what key focus areas are.
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“We have to work together to get this work done,” Lewis and Clark Public Health Officer Drenda Niemann said.
Lewis and Clark Public Health and the Healthy Together Steering Committee convened a group of stakeholders to create the current plan.
The plan was created in the spring of last year and identifies three priority areas: chronic disease, behavioral health, and housing.
“In each of the priority areas, several crosscutting issues were considered: access to care, community partnerships, and health equity," said Emily Mcvey with the Lewis and Clark area United Way.
Shared challenges included the uncertainty of funding and the rural nature of the area the plan serves.
“It really is a lack of resources and lack of staffing capacity to get out and reach the residents that live in those outlying areas. This community is dedicated to doing it and finding ways to do it," Niemann said.
Moving forward, leaders want to see improved training with a stronger reach and education for elected officials.
“A plan like this gets everybody on the same page, on the same road, moving in the same direction,” Niemann said.
These agencies will gather again in a year to discuss how the plan is working and what the next steps will be.
