In May 2022, Whatcom County Health and Community Services launched a strategic planning process for 2023-2027. WCHD’s last strategic plan ended in 2019, and the COVID-19 pandemic consumed the department’s time and resources for the next two years. The planning process that began in May 2022 offered the opportunity to reflect on the challenges, growth and lessons learned from the pandemic. Who are we? What is our role in the community? How can we have the greatest positive impact on public health?

Our plan is built upon a foundation of community engagement through other recent or ongoing outreach by the department. In addition, staff at all levels of the department, along with community partners and key leaders, participated during the process to offer insights and feedback.

Our Purpose

The purpose describes the department’s unique role in Whatcom County. The programmatic areas mentioned are where the department has and will focus its work in order to make the biggest impact on health and community services.

“We serve Whatcom County by advancing equity and partnering with our community to:
Promote health through policy and systems improvement;

Prevent disease and injury;

Provide accurate and reliable health communication, information and data;

Prepare for and respond to emergencies; and

Preserve a healthy environment where everyone can thrive.”

Our Strategic Priorities

Through the following four strategic priorities, the Whatcom County Health and Community Services will strengthen our capacity to fulfill our purpose and positively impact community health programs, services and systems.

• Community Partnerships & Engagements: Partner collaboratively to find community-based solutions that advance health and health equity.
• Organizational Infrastructure: Effectively manage finances, resources, and staffing to support a culture of ethical practice, decision-making and governance.
• Workforce Development: Build and support a diverse, skilled health and human services workforce while ensuring an organizational culture and work environment that is supportive of staff. 
• Quality Management: Use program data to derive decision-making, inform ongoing improvements and foster a culture of transparency and accountability.

Our Values

Our values should be apparent in every interaction with the department, in all we say and do: with our clients, the communities we serve, our partners and each other.

Resources:

• 2023-2027 Strategic Plan Infographic (PDF)
• 2023-2027 Strategic Plan Executive Summary (PDF)
• 2023-2027 Strategic Plan (Expected publication 11/15/2022)
• 2015-2019 Strategic Plan (PDF)