State Health Improvement Plan

The State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) is a 5-year plan addressing publicly identified community health improvements. While organized by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), SHIP is a collaborative effort led by partners across Washington.

Current SHIP Efforts

The 2025-2030 SHIP is under way!

Seven steps of progress of the State Health Improvement Plan

SHIP Progress Steps

  1. Convene alliance
  2. Alliance planning
  3. Public outreach and listening sessions
  4. Prioritize needs
  1. Plan to implement
  2. Implement
  3. Monitor and evaluate

Priorities

After its 2025 listening sessions and efforts, the SHIP Alliance identified the 2 priorities for the SHIP plan:

  • Access to Care
  • Mental and Behavioral Health

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the SHIP and the State Health Assessment (SHA)?

The State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) is a long-term strategy to collaboratively prioritize and collectively address health issues identified in the State Health Assessment (SHA). SHA is an ongoing initiative to gauge the health of Washington state residents using a mix of quantitative and qualitative data. SHA data is leveraged within SHIP and taken into account when considering the priorities. While they support each other, they are 2 distinct efforts.

How were the priorities decided?

The SHIP Alliance gathered information from listening sessions, public surveys, community health improvement plans (CHIPS), and the state health assessment. They then analyzed the data, and through guided conversations with an anti-racist and decolonizing approach, determined the 2 most pressing areas for improvement.

What is the SHIP Alliance?

The SHIP Alliance is a cross-sector group of 28 partners providing collaborative decision-making to develop SHIP.

How does my organization get involved?

Interested organizations can reach out to the SHIP team at SHIP@doh.wa.gov to join one of our upcoming cross-sector community meetings.

How can I, as a community member, get involved?

You can join our alliance or one of our upcoming community meetings. Compensation and language access support will be provided upon request. Please reach out to SHIP@doh.wa.gov to connect with a member of our SHIP team for more information.

How can I keep up with the SHIP progress?

SHIP aims to send out quarterly emails. Subscribe to our newsletter.