On Friday, February 27, the Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax (PFHF) held their Annual Meeting at the Fairfax County Government Center to launch the new Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). More than 100 people attended and discussed the importance of working together to achieve the vision of a healthier Fairfax community.

Members of the Multicultural Advisory Council (MAC) also joined the members of PFHF to meet others working to enhance the health and well-being of Fairfax communities, especially those with the highest levels of health disparities, and to engage in conversations around common goals presented in the new CHIP.

A panel presentation on the “Power of Partnership” highlighted how different forms of partnership can look, the importance of centering the voices of community members with lived experience and facing health disparities, and that it is ok to start small and refine approaches before implementing on a larger scale. Vinu Ilakkuvan, Founder and Principal, PoP Health, LLC served as panel moderator. 

Panelist included Sonya Breehey, Northern Virginia Advocacy Director/Operations Coordinator, Coalition for Smarter Growth; Lynette Sappe-Watkins, Executive Director, Culmore Clinic, and Yolonda Earl-Thompson, Executive Director of LAZERA Ministries who shared, “At LAZERA Ministries, we’ve seen firsthand that proximity changes perspective. When we make room for youth voice, family voice, and lived experience, the work becomes more authentic — and more effective.”