Live Healthy Fairfax

CONTACT INFORMATION: Available during regular business hours 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
703-246-8856 TTY 711
10777 Main Street
Fairfax, VA 22030
Susan Sanow
Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax Project Manager

Department Resources

Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax

The Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax is a coalition of community members and organizations that are working together to explore new approaches for addressing critical public health issues. This diverse group of individuals, community organizations, schools, healthcare providers, nonprofits, businesses, faith communities and government agencies formed the Partnership in 2010. Once the Partnership was established, its primary objective was to create and spearhead the implementation of a wide range of community-owned, multi-sector health initiatives.

The Partnership is guided by a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). A community health improvement plan is a long-term, systematic effort to address public health problems. It is developed based on the results of community health assessment activities and the community health improvement process.

The Partnership’s first CHIP covered the years 2013-2018. It included 11 goals and 31 objectives across seven priority health issues. The seven priority areas included: health and safe physical environment, active living, healthy eating, tobacco-free living, health workforce, access to health services and data. At the end of the 5-year-implementation period, over 90% of the key actions were either completed or in progress. Some achievements included: developing a bicycle master plan, establishing tobacco-free play zones, encouraging community gardens and mobile food markets, establishing the Trauma-Informed Community Network and the Community Health Dashboard.

The Partnership developed and adopted a second CHIP for 2019-2023. It includes 8 goals and 20 objectives across three priority health issues: Behavioral Health, Healthy Eating (Fairfax Food Council) and Healthy Environment and Active Living (HEAL).

While these results are impressive, achieving improved health outcomes takes a sustained commitment of time, resources and effort from community stakeholders and county partners. Annual reports are created to detail the progress of CHIP implementation. While the goals and objectives of the published plan are monitored closely, key actions may be revised as needed when resources change and community health needs evolve.

Partnership Commitments

"A healthier community can be achieved by understanding the strengths and needs of diverse populations and by addressing with dedication the underlying social determinants of health – the considerations that the places where people live, learn work and play – affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes.”

Social determinants of health include employment, housing, transportation, income, education, social cohesion, access to health care and environmental conditions. These factors influence how people make choices and reflect the economic, social and physical environments where these choices are made.

The Partnership established equity as one of our core values in 2010 and continues today.

While Fairfax County is noted for its well-educated residents, high per capita income and an abundance of resources and services, not all community members have the same opportunities for good health or access to the social determinants of health resources. When the landscape is uneven, health outcomes can be negatively impacted. The Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax is committed to uncovering disparities in health access, health outcomes, the root causes of those differences and taking action to ensure that everyone in the community has the opportunity to live a healthy life.

To create opportunities for good health for all, the Partnership works to build community capacity to address inequities in the social determinants of health and other factors that negatively affect health.

Each PFHF Team has identified strategies that in the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) that will advance health equity. CHIP Goals, objectives, and key actions that promote health equity are identified with a leaf icon as part of CHIP 2.0.

Health is not merely the absence of disease or sickness; it is a state of complete physical, mental, social and economic well-being. The Partnership and its’ teams support the idea that we can ensure the conditions in which everyone can be healthy through community, policy, equity and collaboration.

  • The availability of healthy, affordable housing through policies that incentivize preserving, building, and maintaining high-quality homes within socially integrated neighborhoods for people at all income levels.
  • Utilizing health and demographic data to prioritize policies that account for individuals and families complete financial picture, ensure access to education resources and promote equitable development to build wealth throughout the county.
  • Invest in active, accessible, and affordable and reliable modes of transportation that connect people to jobs, education and recreation; improve air quality, and provide lower-stress environments.
  • Using planning, zoning and economic development tools to promote equitable opportunities and create social and physical environments that promote good health for all.

The Live Healthy Fairfax Community Health Dashboard is a web-based data resource for the Fairfax community, which includes Fairfax County, Virginia, and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church.

On the dashboard, you can find population health indicator data, demographic data, disparities data, and overall data on socio-economic needs by zip-code location, by the Fairfax Health District, and regionally. The Community Health Improvement Plan and its annual progress reports are available on the dashboard. In addition, included on the dashboard are Topic Centers in the areas of health, community, economy, education and environmental health. 

Visit the Community Health Dashboard to unlock an incredible amount of information!

Leadership

The Partnership is led by a Steering Committee and teams that include representatives from the community, academia, nonprofit, health industry, and governments.

See PFHF Leadership & Teams

Achievements and Awards

The Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax has several Fairfax Achievements, Grants & Awards.

Read about the most recent Live Healthy Fairfax Awardees: Live Healthy Fairfax Awards Recognize Community Champions Who Are Making a Difference

See Achievements, Grants & Awards

Connect with us!

Attend a meeting

The Partnership meets at least twice a year with Spring and Fall Annual Meetings. The meeting include a business meeting and an educational program.

Topics can focus on large scale public health issues addressed in the Community Health Improvement Plan or team-specific issues to raise awareness to all members of the Partnership. If you are interested in attending a PFHF Meeting, please contact PFHF Coordinator, Susan Sanow.

Join our Mailing List

The Partnership periodically reaches out to our community with information on PFHF issues, social determinants of health news and information on team-specific gatherings and information in the PFHF Newsletter If you are interested in being added to the mailing list, please contact PFHF Coordinator, Susan Sanow.

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