CHAT Community Health Action Teams
Since 2001, ThedaCare has organized Community Health Action Teams (CHAT Teams) to help guide local community health work in each of our hospital markets. These CHAT Teams, comprised of community leaders and those with experience across all sectors (government, public health, business, education, healthcare, philanthropy, non-profit, faith), help make sense of local health improvement opportunities and co-create innovative solutions for positive change.
At the heart of CHAT is an event called a “plunge,” a day-long field trip into the heart of the community to learn firsthand from those most affected by the health issue being studied. ThedaCare has conducted more than 35 plunges with the participation of over 2,000 community leaders to learn about the needs of our communities and find proactive ways to be part of the solution.
CHAT’s Latest Plunge
In 2023, our Community Health Action Teams “plunged” into the topic of Youth Mental Health & Social Media, which impacts all of our communities. For this event, we partnered with National Center of Excellence in Social Media and Mental Health.
CHAT Health Priorities
Based on ThedaCare’s Community Health Needs Assessments and Plans, CHAT supports actions related to these four priorities:
- Mental Health and Substance Use
- Nutrition
- Access to supports for health and well-being
- Regional Alignment
CHAT Members by Community
Tri-County Community Health Improvement Coalition (Tri-CHIC)
ThedaCare played a lead role in helping organize the Tri-County Community Health Improvement Coalition (Tri-CHIC), comprised of four area health systems, five Public Health departments, and more than a dozen nonprofit community organizations in the Tri-County area (Calumet, Outagamie and Winnebago counties). This Coalition conducted a joint Community Health Needs Assessment over the past year and is developing a 3-year plan for collective action. The plan is due out by the end of 2025. This collaborative effort will reduce duplication of efforts with this process, help create common understanding of our greatest needs, and alignment of initiatives so that we have greater potential for impact.
In addition to the Tri-CHIC work, ThedaCare Community Health engaged the public health officers and community members within the six rural counties (Green Lake, Marquette, Menominee, Shawano, Waupaca and Waushara) served by ThedaCare as well to ensure all communities within our region were represented.
Super CHAT
Super CHAT determines the plunge topic and support the CHAT retreat.
