JABA and other local organizations are making a big difference when it comes to reducing health disparities and improving access to care in our area, a new report shows.

The National Association of County and City Health Officials’ (NACCHO) Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) provides a framework for organizations, coalitions, and residents to work together for action and sustainable change toward improved health and well-being for all. Since 2007, organizations and residents of Planning District 10, also known as the Thomas Jefferson Health District, have used the MAPP framework to assess community health across the district in the City of Charlottesville and counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. This process is known locally as MAPP2Health or MAPP.

The MAPP process was first initiated in 2007 in the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. A steering committee of leaders from a wide array of organizations was established to plan and implement MAPP. The group published a Community Health Status Assessment Technical Report in 2008. In July 2011, MAPP2Health launched and expanded the MAPP process to all localities in PD10. Key planning partners included the Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA), Martha Jefferson Hospital (now Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital), Region Ten Community Services Board, TJHD, and the UVA Department of Public Health Sciences (UVA DPHS). Other key partners included the MAPP Leadership Council and partnerships with existing Interagency Councils (IACs) in TJHD localities. The resulting 2012 MAPP2Health Report included community health assessment data for all localities and a collaborative community health improvement plan.

The 2019 MAPP2 Health Report [read the full report here] builds on the work of the 2016 MAPP process and focuses on health equity across the district-wide priorities identified in earlier MAPP reports to:

• Promote healthy eating and active living

• Address mental health and substance use

• Reduce health disparities and improve access to care

• Foster a healthy and connected community for all ages

The 2019 MAPP2 Health Report also shows specifically how JABA and other local organizations have committed to increasing access to care and reducing health disparities in our area: