Berkeley City Council Special Work Session on Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) – February 24, 2026

This special work session of the Berkeley City Council was convened to receive a presentation and discuss the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), also called the "Berkeley Wellness Blueprint." The plan, developed over the past year with community engagement, identifies four priority health areas—housing, environmental health, behavioral health, and community safety—and sets two overarching goals: closing life expectancy disparities and increasing community power and partnership. The meeting included a staff presentation, a video, a demonstration of a forthcoming public health dashboard, public comments, and council discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Andy Katz, chair of the Community Health Commission (speaking as an individual), expressed that while the CHIP brings new insights and aligns with a "health in all policies" approach, it falls short of addressing the strategic plan needs for the public health division, particularly in prevention of chronic and infectious diseases, peer-to-peer education, and direct services like public health nursing. He urged the city to also advance a results-based accountability framework and questioned how CHIP implementation will be successful across pillars not traditionally handled by HHCS.
• Baptiste, a Community Health Commissioner, seconded the previous comments and stated that the city now has "both the data and the mandate to act." He noted that the life expectancy gap of 13 years (91 in Berkeley Hills vs. 78 in South and West Berkeley) is a predictable result of housing instability, environmental injustice, behavioral health gaps, and unequal investment. He urged the city council and city manager to formally align budget, interdepartmental work plans, and performance metrics with the CHIP’s two central goals, targeting resources to neighborhoods with the worst outcomes.
• Matt, a member of the community steering committee (speaking via Zoom), explained that many chronic diseases are interwoven, and addressing upstream factors like housing and diabetes prevention can impact mortality from conditions like Alzheimer’s. He emphasized that the CHIP’s focus on primordial prevention is essential.

Discussion Items

• Presentation by Director Scott Gilman and Deputy Director Tanya Bustamante: The overview described the CHIP’s purpose, guiding principles (balance ambition with feasibility, cultivate cross-sector work, emphasize prevention, establish a long-term cycle), and development process involving a consulting firm (JSI), key informant interviews, focus groups, and a community survey with over 320 responses. The community steering committee of 10 members distilled six key findings into two broad goals and four priority areas.
• Dashboard Demonstration: A sneak peek of a public-facing dashboard (to go live in fall 2026) was shown, featuring data on life expectancy by race and geography. Key statistics highlighted: Berkeley’s overall life expectancy outpaces Alameda County and the state; however, a 13-year gap exists between the Berkeley Hills (91 years) and South/West Berkeley (78 years). Drug overdoses and self-harm rose to the 6th leading cause of death in 2022–2024, up from 8th place previously.
• Councilmember Questions & Comments:
  • Councilmember Verta asked about specific sub-objectives under community safety (e.g., walkability), why certain areas (like upper downtown) have lower life expectancy, how focus groups were selected, how CHIP will target interventions to affected communities, and the vision for cross-departmental collaboration. Staff responded that the high-level objectives will evolve, focus groups were conducted with priority populations (e.g., transitional age youth, African American and Latino residents), and that an interdepartmental process will be developed with annual updates to council beginning January/February 2027.
  • Councilmember Bartlett appreciated the work and asked about dashboard alignment with budget, alignment with Medi-Cal/Medicaid requirements, and decision-making structure for identifying specific solutions. Staff confirmed that the community health commission will be part of oversight, and that the state now requires alignment between behavioral health and public health plans, with small funding from behavioral health to convene the work.
  • Councilmember Blackaby praised the focus on measurable outcomes and asked how the team balanced ambition with feasibility, when the next version of the implementation plan would be available, and how confident they are in moving the needle. Staff replied that the four priorities rose from the community, that the implementation pause until after the budget process is intended to ensure fiscal stewardship, and that they aim to have initial solutions by January 2027. Staff expressed confidence in community support.
  • Mayor Ishii asked about the difference between the 2018 health status report and the 2025 community health assessment, why chronic disease data and strategies weren’t included in the CHIP’s priority areas, and noted that 60% of African American and Latinx households in Berkeley pay more than 30% of income for rent. Staff clarified that the CHIP focuses on the top four community-identified priorities, but chronic disease data will be available on the dashboard, and the health assessment includes both quantitative and qualitative data.
  • Councilmember Humbert thanked staff and the steering committee, called the 13-year life expectancy gap a "stark and necessary finding," and emphasized the need for an accountability framework despite budget constraints. He asked staff to return with a concrete, minimal accountability framework reflecting current resource reality.
  • Councilmember Tregum highlighted the importance of actionable implementation, the challenge of backfilling lost grant funding (e.g., for tree planting), and suggested using state legislative priorities to communicate funding needs.
  • Vice Mayor Luna Parra thanked staff and community members.

Key Outcomes

• The council received the presentation and discussion; no formal vote was taken on the CHIP itself.
• Staff committed to providing annual updates to council, the first expected around January/February 2027.
• Councilmember Humbert requested that Director Gilman and HHCS return with a concrete accountability framework for the CHIP, even a minimal one.
• Staff indicated that implementation actions will be developed with focus groups and stakeholders from December 2025 through July 2026, with a pause for the budget process, and that specific, measurable objectives will be shared by early 2027.
• The 10 members of the community steering committee were publicly recognized and awarded certificates of appreciation.
• The meeting adjourned with a motion, second, and unanimous approval.