The Alexandria Health Department and the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria have released their Winter 2024-25 Progress Report for the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), highlighting significant advances in addressing the city’s key health priorities.
The report reveals that 74 of the 80 planned tactics are now in progress, managed by a coalition of city agencies, nonprofits, and community organizations. These initiatives target the three priority areas identified in Alexandria’s 2019 Community Health Assessment: mental health, poverty, and housing.
“It’s really exciting to see so many of these community-driven efforts come to life,” says Alexandria Health Department Public Health Planner Sean Curry in a press release. “And we’re also excited for what’s next – namely, the 2024-2025 Community Health Assessment.”
The progress report spotlights several successful initiatives, including the revitalization of Girls on the Run NOVA, which has seen participation increase by 135% since 2021. The youth program now serves 467 participants across seven teams, rebounding strongly from COVID-related isolation.
Another highlighted success is Alexandria Beyond the Classroom (ALX Beyond), which evolved from the Youth Support Network created during the pandemic. The organization now serves as a hub for expanded learning opportunities, featuring a database with 148 activity listings for local youth.
The report also commends the Alexandria Eviction Prevention Task Force, a multi-agency partnership of 30-40 organizations and landlords working to understand and address the local eviction landscape. Their efforts have yielded impressive results, with 79% of people who received assistance from the Office of Community Services avoiding eviction filings, and 66% of all 2024 eviction cases not resulting in eviction judgments.
Since 2021, the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria has awarded over $134,000 in grants to 17 nonprofits implementing CHIP tactics. Recent grant recipients include the Campagna Center, Casa Chirilagua, Child and Family Network Centers, Senior Services of Alexandria, Northern Virginia Family Service, Spitfire Club, and Concerned Citizens Network of Alexandria.
These funded projects address various community needs, from expanding college awareness programs for immigrant youth to creating mental health support systems for seniors and new mothers.
Casa Chirilagua reports that 100% of the 16 students in their Casa to College program graduated this year and will attend college or trade school in Fall 2024. The program achieved an 83% retention rate of students from the previous year.
Rebuilding Together used grant funding to complete repairs improving the health and safety of four homes in Alexandria, benefiting eight individuals. Ninety percent of homeowners noticed a decrease in utility bills following repairs, in addition to enjoying safer, healthier living spaces.
The report also identifies several challenges facing tactic owners, including funding limitations as major sources like the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 are no longer available. Staff capacity constraints, particularly the need for multilingual personnel, have slowed progress for some initiatives.
Other barriers include difficulties maintaining sustained, representative participation from marginalized communities and navigating changing legislative priorities at state and local levels.
As the 2025 Community Health Improvement Plan enters its final year, the Alexandria Health Department and the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria are building on this momentum while looking ahead to the next phase of community health planning.
The 2024-2025 Community Health Assessment is currently underway and will explore Alexandria’s health issues and their context. After its release in June 2025, the findings will guide the development of a new Community Health Improvement Plan for 2026-2030.
“Our city has changed so much since the last 2019 Community Health Assessment,” notes Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria Chair Allen Lomax in a press release. “So, we’re hoping people will carry the accomplishments and lessons learned from our 2025 CHIP and stay involved with our ongoing CHA process as we identify the next set of priorities.”
The CHIP is the result of a 17-month development process involving residents and stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. Community members selected the priority areas based on the 2019 Community Health Assessment results.
The Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department are responsible for monitoring the plan through 2025, providing technical support to tactic owners and collecting regular progress updates.
The monitoring and evaluation team focuses on five key objectives: encouraging collaborative efforts, establishing clearly defined roles, promoting consistent data review and communication, providing technical assistance to overcome implementation barriers, and conveying results clearly to community members.
The full progress report, including detailed updates on specific tactics and information about getting involved in future planning efforts, is available on the Alexandria Health Department website.
