The Community Health Outreach Prevention & Promotion (CHOPP) division is a unit that focuses mainly on chronic disease prevention and management, health promotion and public health emergency planning. The division is also the point of contact for HIPAA-related questions, public information act requests and media contacts for public information.
What does the Community Health Outreach Prevention & Promotion division do?
Communications – Media/interview requests and public information act requests, please email wchd.pio@maryland.gov
Sexual Risk Avoidance Education and Personal Responsibility Education Program – The Maryland Department of Health provides funding for sexual health education programs. With this funding, WCHD partners with Girls Inc. and Washington County Public Schools to implement evidence-informed, sexual health education curricula for students in Washington County Public Schools. The purpose of these programs is to educate youth about puberty; sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV; pregnancy prevention; healthy relationships; sexual decision-making and communication skills; and other topics that promote healthy youth development. Parent materials are distributed as well. To learn more, please visit the 3Rs curriculum website.
Youth Advisory Board (YAB) A youth-led group dedicated to healthy living, mental health, substance use prevention and the environment, that mixes community service and fun! The YAB is open to all Washington County youth ages 14-19. Planning meetings occur once a month online with special activities happening monthly. Participation is free, as all activities and food are covered by the WCHD.
Healthy Washington County – Healthy Washington County is Washington County’s local health improvement coalition. The Healthy Washington County website contains a collection of information from organizations in the community about health resources available in Washington County. Danielle Stahl from the CHOPP division represents the health department and is the co-chair of Healthy Washington County (email: danielle.stahl@maryland.gov). As part of the coalition, the WCHD helps implement a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years.
Public Health Emergency Planning – Public health emergency planning is conducted by this division and encompasses all aspects of planning for health and natural emergencies and coordination of agency response to a wide variety of scenarios.
Cribs for Kids® – The CHOPP division runs the Washington County Health Department’s Cribs for Kids® program. This program provides free pack-n-plays and safe sleep education to caregivers of infants who do not have and cannot afford a crib or pack-n-play. To learn more, call 240-313-3246.
National Diabetes Prevention Program – The National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) is an evidence-based, lifestyle change program for people who have prediabetes or who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Participants work with a trained lifestyle coach during this yearlong program to make lifestyle changes that can help them cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half! For questions or to learn more about upcoming National DPP classes, visit healthywashingtoncounty.com or call 301-790-8675.
Bike Safe Play Court – The CHOPP division collaborated with the Hagerstown YMCA and the City of Hagerstown to create this traffic garden located at the Hagerstown YMCA. A traffic garden is a painted streetscape that gives children a safe place away from traffic to learn how to safely ride their bikes on the streets. Parents, guardians and caregivers are encouraged to bring their children to the Bike Safe Play Court and use it as a resource to teach them bicycle safety skills.
Washington County Pathfinder – The Washington County Pathfinder website is a resource for people to find walking, hiking, biking and boating opportunities in Washington County. The Pathfinder website and social media were created and are maintained by the CHOPP division.
Washington County Walking and Walkability Plan – The CHOPP division brought together a group of community organizations to develop the Washington County Walking and Walkability Plan, to encourage Washington County residents to walk more and to improve walkability within the county. Walkability refers to how easy and pleasant a place is to walk.
The CHOPP division manages the WCHD website and social media pages, as well as the internal intranet and employee newsletter.
