Local Residents Invited to Help Set Public Health Priorities

The Wyoming Department of Health’s Public Health Division invites residents to help set potential priorities for its state health improvement plan (SHIP) by joining one of an upcoming series of meetings.

“Last year, we completed what’s known as a ‘State Health Assessment’ process for Wyoming,” said Stephanie Pyle, Public Health Division senior administrator with the department. “Our next step is setting priorities to help guide our state health improvement efforts for the next five years.”

Pyle invited anyone interested in participating to attend. “Everyone has a stake in the health of our communities and our state. Whether you’re a business owner, a concerned resident, a health professional, or you work in other sectors such as education or public safety, health should matter to all of us,” she said.

Community meetings scheduled for September include:

·         Rock Springs-September 19 from 12:15-1:30 p.m. at the White Mountain Library

·         Greybull-September 23 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the South Big Horn Senior Center Conference Room

·         Kemmerer-September 24 from 9-11:30 a.m. at the South Lincoln Medical Center Conference Room

·         Douglas-September 25 from 1-3 p.m. at the Converse County Library

·         Newcastle-September 25 from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Pinnacle Bank Conference Room

·         Wheatland-September 30 from 9-11 a.m. at the Platte County Library

More meetings in other locations will be announced in October. Meeting schedule updates are available online at sha.wyo.gov.

Pyle described a state health improvement plan as a data-driven roadmap for partners to actively work together to improve population health.

For more information on the priority-setting process, contact Feliciana Turner, performance improvement manager for the Public Health Division, at 307-777-8946 or Feliciana.Turner@wyo.gov.