Community Health Planning
Alexandria's community health planning work allows us to evaluate Alexandrians health and coordinate projects that ensure all Alexandrians have the opportunity to thrive.
Alexandria's health planning process is a multiyear process. First, a community health assessment (CHA) captures Alexandria's top health priorities. Then, a community health improvement plan (CHIP), coordinated by AHD and the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria, brings together organizations and individuals from across the city to create and execute strategies related to the priorities identified in the CHA.
Currently, Alexandria is in our final year of the Community Health Improvement Plan 2025 and conducting a new Community Health Assessment (2024-2025) that will guide the creation of a new plan to execute through 2030.
CHA 2024-2025
All Alexandrians must have the opportunity to thrive. Community conditions, like structural racism and all forms of discrimination, along with neighborhood factors such as housing, parks, and grocery stores impact Alexandrians’ health. Health data reflects these impacts, but the data alone does not tell the full story.
This community health assessment (CHA) is your chance to weigh in on what health issues you and your neighbors experience, and what matters most. Your voice, combined with data analysis, will help Alexandria Health Department identify the city’s top health issues and understand their causes.
You can now see results of the Fall 2024 community-wide health survey. Over 2,000 Alexandrians weighed in on our city's top health issues, strengths, and areas for improvement.
You can watch our webinar reviewing the full community-wide health survey results or download the full slides to review.
Featured community resources in the webinar can be accessed below:
- DCHS Resources and Services
- Community Resources Cheat Sheet
- Alexandria Housing Resources Guide
- Find Help
If you have questions or would like to see the results in a different language, please email healthmatters@vdh.virginia.gov.
CHIP 2025
Working extensively with the community, the AHD and Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria have coordinated the Community Health Improvement Plan 2025 (CHIP). The CHIP is a collection of action-oriented strategies and tactics to address inequities through programs, advocacy, services, education, and policy change.
Dozens of organizations, institutions, and community members are committed to completing the work by 2025. Improving health outcomes in Alexandria is a collaborative effort and AHD and the Partnership ask other community members to join in!
The newest update? The CHIP Progress Report for Winter '24-25
- View the CHIP Winter '24-25 Progress Report
- Dig Deeper! Review the CHIP Winter '24-25 Progress Report Appendix
From CHA 2019 to CHIP 2025
In 2019, Alexandria conducted a community-centered, data-driven review of Alexandria's health status. Results led to the development of a plan that would lead to dozens of health promotion projects across the city.
CHIP Progress Reports
Creating the CHIP 2025
Hundreds of community members, organizations, and institutions researched promising and best practices in other communities and through many hours in community meetings, developed the CHIP’s strategies, tactics, timelines, and progress measures.
Work on the CHIP coincided with the revision of two other city-wide plans, the Alexandria City Public Schools Strategic Plan 2025 and the Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services' Children and Youth Master Plan 2025. These organizations established a Unified Planning Team to maximize community engagement opportunities, share important data, and focus on shared outcomes.
2019 Community Health Assessment
The 2019 Community Health Assessment (CHA) is a community-centered, data-driven review of Alexandria's health status. Learn about Alexandria's top 10 health issues here, then help us build a plan to address them.
CHA 2019 Appendices
- Compiled Appendices
PDF of all appendices referenced - Appendix A: Community Engagement
Summary of community outreach and engagement efforts - Appendix B: Population Profile, City of Alexandria
Detailed maps and charts exploring resident demographics and characteristics - Appendix C: Forces of Change Assessment Discussion and Responses
Complete CHA Steering Committee responses for the Forces of Change discussion
- Appendix D: Community Themes and Strengths Assessment
Communitywide survey results are broken down by demographics and ZIP code - Appendix E: Community Health Status Assessment Results (Updated)
Chart of health indicators used to identify disparities, trends, and progress towards state and national benchmarks - Appendix F: Identifying Top Health Issues Methodology
Updated slide deck from CHA Steering Committee presentation
Commitment to Community
Check this page for updates, or email healthmatters@vdh.virginia.gov for more information on how you can get involved.