The Center for Community Health & Prevention plays an active role in local community health policy. The health of the community is impacted by policies both directly related to health and those impacting all social determinants of health. The Center helps to develop and monitor local community health policy, and Center employees work through several local health coalitions and alliances to advance key policy and legislative initiatives, showing that primary prevention can work by using advocacy and policy change to improve health.
The Center for Community Health & Prevention takes the role of convening and coordinating the Community Health Improvement Workgroup (CHIW).
CHIW is comprised of representatives from four hospitals in Monroe County, NY (University of Rochester's Strong Memorial Hospital and Highland Hospital and Rochester Regional Health's Rochester General Hospital and Unity Hospital) and the local Department of Public Health. Local community and government groups are also represented on the CHIW.