Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP)

Beginning 1995, Washtenaw County Health Department led a large countywide partnership of organizations and individuals called the Health Improvement Plan (HIP). In the past, the HIP partnership was the driving force behind the Health Department’s community health improvement process. In the last few years, our community improvement efforts have naturally begun to evolve, and have started focusing more on health equity and community engagement.

In an effort to continue to intentionally focus on health equity and share decision-making with community members most impacted by health inequities, we felt it was time to officially transition to a new partnership. This new partnership will build on all of HIP’s work and experience and will really help us take our community improvement efforts to the next level.

Our new process is built on a national model for improving public health through community-wide strategic planning, called MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships). The Health Department chose to use MAPP because it encourages community engagement and emphasizes health equity in all phases so that action is focused on addressing unfair and unjust differences in health.

What makes MAPP unique is that it is a community-owned process that brings together a wide range of people, groups, and organizational partners to create change. It’s a process designed to help communities prioritize health issues, identify resources, and take action to improve their health.