Recent Project Profiles

Over the past 25 years CHS has helped hundreds of organizations accomplish their goals.  On this page we present a cross-section of projects that represent our scope of our work.  Common themes of these projects include collaboration for capacity building, system change, and social innovation, all with the aim of creating healthier communities.

The PHV Impact Collaborative is a project of Partnering for a Healthy Virginia, operating under the collaborative leadership of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).

  • The purpose of the Collaborative is to help hospitals and local health districts collaborate for population health assessment and community health improvement within their local regions.
  • Participants include professionals from dozens of hospitals and local health districts across Virginia.
  • The learning objectives are focused on helping members streamline and optimize organizational strategies for community collaboration, internal team development, analyzing community data, obtaining community insight, producing community assessment reports, and developing community health improvement strategies.
  • The learning activities include virtual learning sessions, online resources, technical assistance consults, and strategy coaching.
  • The impact of the Collaborative can be seen in more community collaboration, creative development of community data, community engagement strategies, and community health improvement strategies.
  • CHS provides support for collaborative design, facilitation, research, data, tools, training, technical assistance, strategy coaching, and evaluation.
  • Learn more at the public website for the Collaborative

The Greater Williamsburg Chronic Care Collaborative (GWCCC) works to strengthen the chronic care safety net in the Greater Williamsburg region of Virginia. The Collaborative is sponsored by the Williamsburg Health Foundation, and has been operational for more than ten years.

  • The purpose of the Collaborative concept is to help safety-net organizations develop stronger and more sustainable systems of care by working together on behalf of the community.
  • The participants include two charitable clinics, a rural health center, a community behavioral health agency, two hospitals, a regional public health district, and a statewide pharmacy access program.
  • The learning objectives are focused on building capacity to implement and sustain core elements of the Chronic Care Model originated by the MacColl Institute, adapted for safety net patients.
  • The learning activities include virtual learning sessions, an online resource center, technical assistance consults, and strategy consults.
  • Collaborative Members have demonstrated positive outcomes related to capacity building, access to care, quality of care, and development of clinical-community partnerships. Thousands of low-income patients with chronic conditions have benefited from the care provided by these organizations.
  • CHS provides support for program design, content development, facilitation of learning sessions, online learning, and practice coaching.

The PCMH Learning Collaborative is a statewide collaborative of more than 25 community health centers building capacity to obtain patient centered medical home recognition.  Funded by the Virginia Community Healthcare Association with federal grant support, the PCMH Learning Collaborative provides a coordinated approach to Patient Centered Medical Home transformation and recognition for Virginia’s community health centers.

  • The purpose of the PCMH Learning Collaborative is to help health centers improve and sustain the infrastructure needed to provide high quality patient centered care and to enable all CHCs in Virginia to be successful in their goal of achieving NCQA PCMH recognition.
  • The participants are individuals from diverse professional backgrounds who have responsibility for leading PCMH development at their health center.  July 2020 marked the beginning of the 5th year of the learning collaborative.
  • The learning objectives are focused on building capacity to implement and sustain core Concepts, Criteria and Competencies required for NCQA PCMH Recognition.
  • The learning activities include virtual learning sessions, an online resource center, monthly educational updates, one-on-one coaching and technical assistance.
  • CHS provides support for program design, content development, facilitation of learning sessions, online resource center, and practice coaching.
  • Learn more about the PCMH Learning Collaborative at the Virginia Community Healthcare Association website.

Quality Improvement+ is a professional learning collaborative for QI leaders in California community health centers, operated by the California Primary Care Association (CPCA).

  • The purpose of Quality Improvement+ is to help health centers improve and sustain the infrastructure needed to provide high quality care.
  • The participants are individuals from diverse professional backgrounds who have responsibility for leading QI at their health center.  Year 1 of Quality Improvement+ included professionals from 20 health centers.
  • The learning objectives include practicing positive leadership, promoting a culture of continuous improvement, promoting use of data and measurement, using design thinking in QI, advancing health equity through QI, and leading QI in a telehealth context.
  • The learning activities include virtual learning labs for the full group, practice coaching for individual participants, an online resource center, and an applied project where participants use what they are learning to manage an actual QI project at their health center.
  • CHS provides support for program design, content development, facilitation of learning sessions, online learning, and practice coaching.  In 2021 CHS will design and deliver the program for a second cohort in partnership with CPCA.
  • Learn more about Quality Improvement+ at the CPCA website.

SYNC is a professional learning collaborative operated as a partnership between the Medical Society of Virginia Foundation, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, the Virginia Department of HealthVirginia Nurses Foundation, and the Virginia Pharmacists Association.

  • The purpose of SYNC is to help healthcare teams develop skills for effective teamwork and leadership for today’s healthcare environment.
  • SYNC participants include multi-disciplinary teams from organizations across healthcare sectors and disciplines. Teams often include cross-agency partnerships between healthcare organizations, public health agencies, and community service providers.
  • The learning objectives are focused on interprofessional collaboration, leadership fundamentals, 21st-century healthcare, creative problem solving, and individual and team wellness.
  • The learning activities include virtual group learning sessions, self-directed learning in SYNC topic areas, and application of SYNC learnings to a team capstone project addressing a real-world challenge within the organization or community.
  • CHS provides support for program design, program evaluation, facilitation of learning sessions, and an online resource center. We also provide research, data, tools, technical assistance, and strategy coaching for the team capstone projects.
  • Learn more about SYNC from the program website.

The Quality Collaborative is operated by the Texas Association of Charitable Clinics, and made possible by a grant from St. David’s Foundation.

  • The purpose of The Quality Collaborative is to help participating clinics continue their work in quality management while building their capabilities to report on quality indicators and social determinants of health (SDOH).
  • Participants include teams from six charitable clinics in the Greater Austin area.
  • The learning objectives are focused on managing quality and addressing social determinants of health for clinic patients.
  • The learning activities include virtual learning sessions, an online resource center, and technical assistance for practice improvement.
  • CHS provides support for program design, content development, facilitation of learning sessions, a project extranet, and technical assistance for participating teams.
  • Learn more at The Quality Collaborative resource page.

Additional Project Snapshots

A statewide collaborative to help primary care providers improve the ‘ABCS’ of heart health (alcohol, blood pressure, cholesterol, and smoking). Funded by a grant from AHRQ, led by the Virginia Center for Health Innovation, and operated through a multi-agency partnership.

A community collaborative to develop and implement an innovative program for supporting children and families with a combination of social service supports and child health supports.  Funded by a regional health foundation.

A community network of children’s behavioral health providers who come together to share insights and ideas for optimizing children’s behavioral health.  Funded by a regional health foundation.

A statewide collaborative providing data and strategy support to help more than 30 behavioral health organizations accomplish their goals for demonstrating positive community impact.  Sponsored by collaborative members through a group subscription model.

Design and production of community health needs assessments for more than 40 hospitals and other regional organizations.  Each project includes analysis of community indicators, analysis community insights, and identification of vulnerable community populations.

A community collaborative providing data and strategy support to help local mental health organizations accomplish their goals for program improvement and cross-agency collaboration.  Funded by a regional health foundation.

A regional collaborative applying community-based participatory research methods to help safety net health providers better understand patient decision making about obtaining oral health care.  Funded by a regional health foundation.

A regional collaborative to help primary care providers optimize early childhood screening and referral.  Sponsored through a state department of health with federal funding.

A statewide collaborative to help teams from community health centers strengthen skills in teamwork and leadership.  Sponsored by a state primary care association with federal support.

Strategy support to help a large community health center optimize location of a new site based on analysis of community demographics and health indicators.  Funded by the client organization.

A statewide collaborative to help community health centers develop a “CHC Value Model” for demonstrating the value of CHCs for patients, communities, payers, and funders. Sponsored by a state primary care association with federal support.

Needs assessment and strategy development for a statewide organization engaged in supporting home visiting programs at the state, regional, and community level.  Funded by the client organization.

A regional collaborative to help clinicians from multiple health systems improve HPV vaccination rates for their patients.  Led by the Virginia Center for Health Innovation and funded with private grant dollars.

A statewide collaborative with four community health centers and one charitable clinic working together to improve models of care for patients with depression and diabetes. Funded through the Virginia Health Care Foundation.

A regional collaborative to help seven safety net health care organizations optimize outreach and enrollment for Medicaid expansion.  Funded by a regional health foundation.

Strategy support to help a large community health center expand mental health services through community partnerships.  Funded by federal grant from HRSA.

Strategic learning support for a statewide nurse leadership institute designed to help participants develop fundamental skills for teamwork and leadership.  Funded by a regional health foundation.

Strategy support to help a regional collaborative develop strategies for using telehealth to improve opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery.  Funded with a federal grant from HRSA and operated by a regional nonprofit engaged in telehealth development.

Strategic learning support for a statewide physician leadership institute to help participants develop skills for clinical and community leadership.  Sponsored by a regional health foundation and conducted in collaboration with a statewide physician association.

A community collaborative to develop a rural telehealth network to serve a medically underserved county.  Sponsored by a regional health foundation.

A regional collaborative to help community agencies develop collaborative strategies for strengthening senior services.  Funded by a regional health foundation.

A statewide collaborative to help six large health systems reduce low-value services based on Choosing Widely guidelines. Funded by private grant support, led by the Virginia Center for Health Innovation, and operated in partnership with a national network of expert faculty.

Strategy support to help a public school district design, implement, and evaluate a district-wide school health initiative.  Sponsored by a regional health foundation.

Strategy support to help a regional collaborative develop strategies for using telehealth to deliver mental health services in local school districts.  Funded with a federal grant from HRSA and operated by a regional nonprofit engaged in telehealth development.