Kitsap Community Health Priorities | Summer 2025
- katiebaker9
- Jul 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 18
Dear Partners,
Community health improvement requires roll-up-your-sleeves collaboration, and together, we have been doing the work! In addition to making progress on short-term action steps, we continue to build and strengthen relationships with new and seasoned community partners. This highlights a Kitsap-wide shared commitment to improving community health.
“Small actions can start a ripple effect that could reach further than we could imagine”
- MAPP 2.0
Where we are: Implement & monitor phase
What happens in this phase? Workgroups composed of community organizations continue to meet to implement strategies and generate new ideas. Each workgroup has a plan to achieve short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes.
Learn more about priority workgroups
Over the past year, workgroups have been meeting on a regular basis. Below, you can read more about what each workgroup is focused on and the progress that has been made.
HEALTHCARE
Goal: Bridge strengths and reduce barriers in our healthcare system while fostering comprehensive solutions to create a thriving equitable healthcare future.
Healthcare System Workgroup: This workgroup is developing strategies to recruit and retain a thriving healthcare workforce and increase the number of healthcare professionals in our community. Over the past year, the group has designed a collective marketing and recruitment website with the support of the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance. Also, workgroup participants have gathered information on early healthcare career opportunities available in Kitsap County. These actions, and more, bring the workgroup closer to growing our local healthcare workforce.
Kitsap Community Perinatal Clinical Leadership Collaborative: This workgroup is composed of perinatal clinical providers focused on increasing access to comprehensive maternal and infant healthcare. This includes prenatal care, delivery care, postpartum care, mental health supports, substance use treatment, social services, and essential resources throughout Kitsap County. The group continues to identify system strengths, weaknesses, and barriers. Their goal is to problem-solve, advocate, and strengthen links to safe care for all pregnant and parenting people and to ensure equitable quality health outcomes.
HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS
Goal: Increase safe and sustainable housing options across the continuum and create systems that provide pathways out of homelessness and into stable housing.
Kitsap County Affordable Housing Consortium: Formerly known as the Kitsap Affordable Housing Task Force, the Consortium is committed to supporting all local affordable housing providers and initiatives that center community wellbeing along the housing continuum. The group is formalizing the Consortium model and a charter to carry out this work. Next, the group will host a virtual convening for former Task Force members and new partners to inspire collaborative housing projects, community services, and advocacy that results in a robust continuum of healthy housing options.
MENTAL & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Goal: Strengthen collaboration among community service organizations to better provide accessible, equitable, and responsive services that meet people where they are and support them to where they want to go.
Opioid Response Partners Meeting: This meeting convenes community service organizations dedicated to breaking down silos and strengthening relationships among partners focused on substance use supports, including prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. In this past year, the group created a map that highlights connections between organizations and shows where organizations are not connected. For more information about the map, email Naomi Levine at naomi.levine@kitsappublichealth.org.
Gratitude
We acknowledge and share gratitude to all community partners working tirelessly to provide day-to-day services supporting these priorities and basic needs that help our community thrive.
Additionally, we would like to thank Dr. Gib Morrow, Health Officer at Kitsap Public Health District for his leadership and contributions to community health improvement as he concludes his work with the Health District this summer.
Note from Dr. Gib Morrow
Dear KCHP partners,
I want to express my gratitude to each of you as my time at Kitsap Public Health District comes to an end. I have enjoyed working with you tremendously and I deeply appreciate your commitment to promoting and improving the health of our Kitsap community.
Serving as Kitsap’s Health Officer for the past five years has been one heck of an encore career. Together, we navigated the uncharted world of COVID outbreaks, testing, and vaccinations, followed by the disorienting aftermath of the largest pandemic we’ve faced in a century. We picked up the pieces, rebuilt systems, and recentered our efforts around equity and justice.
As we continue to tackle some of the thorniest social challenges of our era, collaborative, community-driven efforts like KCHP will only become more vital.
Thank you all for what you do and for the honor of working alongside you to serve this marvelous community.
Same process, new look
Visit the recently updated KCHP webpage to learn more about the process. Don’t forget about the 2023 Community Health Assessment – your go-to resource for local health data, available at kitsappublichealth.org/reports.
Save the date!
Kitsap Community Health Priorities (KCHP) Progress Summit is Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, from 9 – 11:30 a.m. Gather to hear updates, catch up, and strengthen our connections because together, we can grow a healthier Kitsap!
Questions or feedback?
Email us at kchp@kitsappublichealth.org or call 360-728-2235
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