2021-2025 Community Health Improvement Plan

The current CHIP focuses on addressing key health priorities, including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Mental Wellbeing and Substance Abuse, and Household Stability, to enhance the overall quality of life for Charlotte County residents. 

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): ACEs are the result of childhood traumatic events. ACEs vary in scope and impact, however, their effect on the human body during its most important stages of development is consistent and now clear. Unaddressed trauma and toxic stress could lead to developmental delays for children, disability, chronic illness, early death, and economic loss to communities. Therefore, the importance of a community-wide effort to challenge one of the most under recognized public health crises of our lifetime cannot be overstated. Charlotte County residents experience or have experienced abuse, neglect, household dysfunction as well as emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, parental divorce or death, and domestic violence. These increase the risk of poor health outcomes in Charlotte County residents and calls for a vigilant effort from the community to reduce ACEs and create a trauma informed community.   

Mental Wellbeing and Substance Abuse: Behavioral health issues are symptoms of real, physical conditions occurring in the brain and can be addressed through mental health and mentorship programs, suicide prevention, and substance abuse interventions. Behavioral health plays a vital role in our well-being. With access to resources like mental health providers, residents can address their emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Improving mental health and decreasing substance use has positive effects for both the individual and the community. In Charlotte County, residents continuously face the challenges of limited providers, lack of transportation, and other resources to address their mental health and substance concerns. 

Household Stability: The household should represent a place of safety, stability, and shelter and not a place of stress, strain, or insecurity. When residents struggle to afford a place to live, that financial strain makes it harder to make other healthy choices, like eating a healthy diet or seeing a doctor when you're sick. Moreover, disruptive events, like suddenly losing your home or domestic issues, can lead to negative impacts on health, such as losing a job or health insurance, dropping out of school, susceptibility of disease, or having mental health challenges. Housing and household stability is an important issue that has been exacerbated by Hurricane Ian. The county is continuously working to reduce barriers to improve the community’s overall wellbeing.