Downeast District Public Health Improvement Plan

The Downeast District Public Health Improvement Plan (DPHIP) identifies our District’s public health priorities in order to create a multi-year plan of objectives, strategies, and outcomes for District action. The DPHIP also informs partners of the District work and is used to inform the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP).

The DPHIP is developed after reviewing the most recent district profile (by county), a document that is produced every three years as part of the Shared Community Health Needs Assessment. This profile document provides almost 200 health data indicators that describe demographics, health outcomes, behaviors, and the conditions that influence our health. County and District Health Profiles can be accessed here: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/phdata/MaineCHNA/health-profiles.shtml

In 2019, when our last DPHIP was due for revising, the district councils were asked to conduct a Local Public Health Systems Assessment (LPHSA), which is an assessment of how the local public health system is performing the public health standards associated with the ten essential public health services. We last conducted an LPHSA in 2009. Conducing in LPHSA in each district was the platform to be used in developing the 2020 – 2022 DPHIP with a focus on systems improvement. Those LPHSA sessions were scheduled for spring 2020 but were postponed to a later date due to COVID work. We expect to schedule the LPHSA in the second half of 2021.

As a way to look at systems improvement, the DEPHC has been working on identified areas of need and formed pertinent committees to address them. These committees have been meeting since the fall of 2020, and they are:

  • Palliative Care and Hospice
  • Healthy Aging
  • Health Literacy
  • Cancer
  • Emergency Preparedness

In its 2017 - 2019 DPHIP, the Downeast Public Health Council (DEPHC) identified the following priorities:

  • Build Better Cardiovascular Health (Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity
  • Improve Mental Health focused on Early Childhood Agest
  • Prevent Alcohol and Drug Use
  • Build Awareness for Prevention of Cancer

Click here to view or download a copy of the Downeast DPHIP