Healthy Communities Initiative

The Healthy Communities Initiative (HCI) aims to increase the capacity of the local public health districts and their partners to work with and through communities to implement effective responses to reduce chronic disease with a focus on obesity particularly in populations of those facing health disparities.

The Georgia Department of Public Health funds and collaborates with 17 separate local public health districts throughout the state to provide leadership, guidance, technical assistance, and training on developing and implementing policy, systems, and environmental changes to communities within their jurisdiction to:

  • Promote physical activity and nutrition
  • Reduce tobacco use and exposure 
  • Help eliminate racial, ethnic, and socio-economic health disparities
  • Foster improved and increased access to quality care
  • Reduce complications from and incidence of chronic diseases
  • Build capacity for communities to address chronic disease
  • Improve population health

The local health departments create/leverage Community Health Assessments (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIP) to identify health issues and partner with other health care providers, community partners and coalitions to enhance local community efforts and maximize the public health impact across Georgia.

Each funded health district is comprised of one or more of Georgia's 124/159 county health departments. Click here to find your public health district.

 

National Prevention Strategy 

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/disease-prevention-wellness-report.pdf

Page last updated 12/19/22