Letter from the Chief Medical Advisor, William Kim, M.D.

In 2005, Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) created a data-driven strategic planning process to prioritize funding and program implementation. The strategic plan calls for creating a community needs assessment, critically analyzing community health data and cultivating strategic partnerships to advance and realize BCHD’s vision and goals.

One such partnership is BCHD’s Beach Cities Partnership for Youth Coalition, which was awarded a federal Drug-Free Communities Grant in 2019. Since January 2017, BCHD has convened five stakeholder groups to address student mental health and well-being, including students, parents, school leaders, healthcare providers and the community at large. In addition, BCHD also incorporates strategic direction and target priorities from the National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy and Healthy People 2030.

The Community Health Report addresses our primary strategic planning goal of measurably improving the health and well-being of Beach Cities residents across the lifespan. Based on the evidence-based process outlined above; our 2022-2025 health priorities will include:

• Mental Health and Substance Use
• Physical and Brain Health
• Public Health and Safety