Strategic Plan

Mission

The Center for Healthy Communities (CHC) is a leader and connector, striving to provide equitable support to individuals and partners across diverse communities in California by building sustainable access to nourishing food and active environments. As a center supporting higher education, we elevate student success and career readiness skills through programs providing direct support to local community members and partner organizations.

Vision

CHC envisions all Californians with equitable resources to live their healthiest lives.

Priority Areas

Basic Needs in Higher Education

Cultivating cooperative leadership within segments of higher education to ensure students have their basic needs met and the skills and resources to achieve their goals.

Community Health

Engaging and educating communities to create policies and environmental changes to advance healthy living.

Local Food Systems

Actively engaging with local collaboratives to provide sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption to enhance the environmental, economic, and nutritional health of our region.

Nutrition & Consulting Services

Fostering strong partnerships to provide health, wellness, and prevention services to organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Student Success & Service Learning

Supporting students while closing the equity gap faced by traditionally underserved students though mentorship and experiential learning opportunities.

Values

Equity

Valuing health equity, CHC works to eliminate inequities and barriers to accessing resources, especially for those whose experience has been perpetuated by socioeconomic disadvantage and historical injustice.

Collaboration

Recognizing the strength of collaboration, CHC creates and sustains partnerships to leverage resources, expertise, and capacity to improve health across the state.

Sustainability

Valuing environmental and economic sustainability, CHC creates and supports resilient local food systems to improve access to locally-grown foods, reduce food waste and boost local and statewide economic equity.

Compassion

Recognizing the unique challenges people face, CHC serves individuals with respect, empathy and caring where we are needed and where we can help.

Mentorship

Valuing Chico State students as leaders of tomorrow, CHC provides opportunities for interdisciplinary service learning, civic engagement, and research to serve the educational, cultural, and economic needs of communities.

Wellness

Valuing a culture of wellness, CHC strives for a healthy life-work balance that supports physical, mental, and financial wellness for staff, students, and communities we serve.

Integrity

Valuing honest, objective, and ethical practices and fiscal responsibility, CHC ensures the protection and support of our communities, partners and students.

Overarching Strategies

Community Engagement

Providing education and outreach at the individual level to improve behaviors and access to local resources.

Policy, Systems & Environmental Change

Acting as agents of change to improve environments, systems, and policies.

Capacity Building

Enhancing skills, tools, and systems to support partner organizations through tailored training and technical assistance.

Partnerships & Collaboration

Leveraging resources and uniting efforts to improve collective impact locally, regionally, and statewide.

Research & Evaluation

Conducting process and impact evaluation to assess effectiveness, determine best practices, refine strategies, and disseminate results to inform policies.

Media

Using media to elevate stories to advance health equity, showcase research findings, and share CHC’s programs, services, and impact.

Advocacy

Advocating and influencing policy and legislation locally, statewide, and nationally to address health disparities and injustices.

Funding Development

Continually seeking new and diverse funding to respond to the needs of the populations served through strategic grant writing, fundraising, and partner networks.