Live Healthy Napa County (LHNC) is a multi-sector collaborative that first convened in 2012 to develop a shared vision and plan to make sustainable improvements in the health of all people who live and work in Napa County. Public Health has served as the backbone entity since its inception. Their partners include local health systems, non-profit organizations, local government representatives, school districts, and community members. They engage their partners through a bilingual monthly newsletter, quarterly meetings, and frequent committee work focused on projects described in Napa County’s community health action plan. Authentic community engagement is a cornerstone of their work, and they are constantly working to improve their practices. They feel it is critical that their work be responsive to, and directed by, community members.
They utilize surveying, empathetic interviewing, learning conversations, focus groups, town halls and asset mapping to gain insight into the barriers the community faces; the narratives they receive inform how they prioritize and define their efforts to improve community health. They use Human Centered Design, which allows them to engage the community in the ideation and prototype process of their projects. They regularly seek out grant funding in order to provide stipends for community participation, which has led to community-led Spanish language focus groups, unique design projects, and transforming into a completely bilingual collaborative. Over the past three years, they have been collecting community responses to help define respect and social inclusion (RSI) in Napa County and hope to create a baseline measurement for future health assessments.
To learn more about Live Healthy Napa County, please contact Erin Nieuwenhuijs, Community Health Planner.
