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
- Social Needs
- Strong Start to Life
- Regional Alignment
CHAT Members by Community
Super CHAT
Following a 2022 CHAT Retreat, a Super CHAT team was formed. Super CHAT has 2 CHAT representatives from each CHAT team. Super CHAT determines the Plunge topic, so all teams plunge on the same topic at the same time.
