Community Health Academy

A Learning Collaborative

The Community Health Academy (CHA) provides opportunities for city and community leaders to explore how they can improve the health of their communities. CHA brings together leaders — both elected officials and staff — from Idaho communities to learn from local and national experts, collaborate with each other, and activate a program or project in their community.

  • Learn

    CHA brings together leaders from across the state to learn best practices from experts and each other. Built environment, civility, early education, leadership, storytelling, walkability, housing, and community health are topics of this year’s academy.

  • Collaborate

    Leaders work closely with peers from other communities and share successes, challenges and learnings. Candid conversations provide valuable insights with the power to make a real impact.

  • Activate

    CHA concentrates on helping participants move their ideas forward, whether it is through funding, planning or other assistance. CHA helps good ideas become reality and create healthier communities.

  • I think the Community Health Academy is a really nice tool. I can work with other cities and get some ideas from everybody on what they are facing and going through, because some of the things they’ve gone through already are going to be valuable to us in what we’re doing to do in our community.

    Leon DuceCity Administrator, City of Rathdrum

  • It was valuable for me to be able to brainstorm ideas with a group, rather than just individually in my own little city. It was nice to hear about solutions.

    Kristen JensenCity Council Member, City of American Falls

  • I loved the Community Health Academy. It brought so much to light that in small cities how important community health is. I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity and privilege to attend.

    Judith NissulaMayor, City of Cascade

  • This program has been fantastic to force me out of the box a little bit and think about things we can have an impact on.

    Shawn BarigarFormer Mayor, City of Twin Falls

  • We want to create a culture of health, and I think about what it takes to get there. Creating a new culture doesn’t happen overnight. I want to look at how we can identify policies to put in place and leverage the financial investment to create something sustainable and impactful.

    Debbie KlingMayor, City of Nampa

  • A lot of the ideas that were presented are things we are stewing around on and trying to figure out how to do those things to help our citizens.”

    Jerry MerrillMayor, City of Rexburg

  • As a mayor in the office every day, I am so focused on potholes and parks and pipes.The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health has done a really good job of bringing something that wouldn’t have been on my radar as a mayor into the framework of what I’m doing every day. They come to the table with resources, financial and human, and they work within the framework of my constraints.

    Hyrum JohnsonFormer Mayor, Driggs

Are you interested in attending a future Community Health Academy? Fill out this form and one of our team members will be in touch.