At Community Health Solutions we are a team of professionals completely dedicated to helping people create healthier communities. We are distinctive in the field for our community focus, innovation mindset, collaborative support model, servant values, deep experience, and creative teamwork.
At CHS we envision communities as the focal point for improving health and advancing equity. We know from decades of research and experience that the places where we live, learn, work, and socialize have a profound impact on our health and well-being. This reality has profound implications for health policies, programs, and systems. Whatever our intentions may be for federal and state actions, if they don’t work at the community level, then they don’t really work at all.
Creating healthier communities requires strong organizations with people willing to collaborate and innovate for community good. We specialize in supporting collaborative initiatives to build capacity, foster system change, and create community innovation.
At CHS we support community innovation as a collaborative strategy for creating community impact. We desperately need solutions that work for health improvement at the community level, and we have learned from experience that no single organization or sector can provide these solutions on its own. Community innovation is a collaborative process for creating solutions that work at the community level. This collaborative approach makes community innovation an essential strategy for addressing the complex challenges facing our communities today.
Our guiding values of respect, listening, learning, and transparency are fundamental to our organization and guide our interactions, relationships, and decision-making processes.
1. Serving: We exist to help others accomplish their goals for improving health and health care. We treat our client partners with respect and dignity, recognizing the inherent worth and unique perspectives of each person. We value diversity and foster an inclusive environment where everyone feels heard, valued, and included. We strive to understand and appreciate different cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds, promoting respect in all our interactions.
2. Listening: We actively listen to the voices and experiences of our clients, community members, and stakeholders. We believe that meaningful collaboration begins with attentive listening and open-mindedness. By actively seeking input and feedback, we gain valuable insights that shape our strategies and ensure our interventions align with the specific needs and priorities of the communities we serve.
3. Learning: We embrace a culture of continuous learning and improvement. We recognize that knowledge and understanding are ever-evolving, and we are committed to staying abreast of the latest research, best practices, and innovative approaches in community health improvement. We actively seek opportunities to learn from our clients, partners, and community members, integrating new insights and adapting our strategies to deliver the most effective solutions.
4. Transparency: We value transparency in our operations, communication, and decision-making processes. We believe in being open, honest, and accountable to our clients, partners, and communities. We strive to provide clear and timely information about our initiatives, progress, and outcomes. By maintaining transparency, we build trust and credibility, fostering strong and collaborative relationships with those we work with.
These guiding values underpin our commitment to in building strong partnerships, delivering valuable supports, and helping our partners accomplish their goals.
CHS brings insight and lessons learned from 25 years of experience serving organizations that care about creating healthier communities. Much of this work has been accomplished through collaborative projects sponsored by associations, foundations, or public agencies. Our client base includes:
- Associations
- Foundations
- Community Health Centers
- Community Behavioral Health Agencies
- Free and Charitable Clinics
- Foundations
- Health Strategy Organizations
- Hospitals and Health Systems
- Human Service Agencies
- Mission-Driven Business Organizations
- Public Health Agencies
- Public Policy Commissions
- Public School Systems
- Senior Service Agencies
- United Way Agencies
This experience has given us countless opportunities to learn from people in a wide range of organizational settings. We leverage this experiential knowledge into creative solutions for our clients.
Our leadership has extensive experience and a total commitment to client success. We also partner with an extended network of subject matter experts to create the right team for each engagement.
Stephen Horan, PhD is the founding CEO of Community Health Solutions, bringing more than 30 years of professional experience to each client and project. Under Steve’s leadership Community Health Solutions has helped hundreds of organizations achieve better results through effective strategy and practice. Individually, Steve has been an advisor to consumer groups, nonprofit organizations, corporations, foundations, and public sector leaders. This broad perspective informs Steve’s ability to connect policy to strategy and practice.
Terry Laine, MS, PCMH CCE is the Operations Manager and a Senior Consultant at Community Health Solutions. Terry brings more than 25 years of professional experience to CHS projects, with distinctive expertise in the areas of quality improvement, integrated care; patient centered medical home; knowledge management, innovation support, collaboration support, team development; and leadership development. Terry completed IHI’s Breakthrough Series College, and is a NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Certified Content Expert (PCMH CCE). She holds a Master of Science Degree from James Madison University.
Leah Horan, B.B.A. Leah Horan is our Learning Solutions Manager with diverse responsibilities for supporting our in-person and virtual learning programs. Leah coordinates and supports action learning programs for a wide range of clients in multiple states. Leah also supports our qualitative research projects with particular expertise in managing and analyzing qualitative data from surveys and interviews. She is skilled in applying a wide range of software packages including Zoom, Poll Everywhere, Camtasia, Qualtrics, hubspot, and Brightspace. Leah holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Roanoke College.
Our Network. Through our various projects we engage a wide network of subject matter experts in fields like strategy, quality, leadership, teamwork, design thinking, and more. We engage these experts on an as-needed basis to deliver training and advice on topics specific to each project.
