MaineHealth Center for Health Improvement

The MaineHealth Center for Health Improvement (CHI) was founded in 1997 to support the achievement of the health system’s vision of “working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.  This vision is at the center of all CHI activities. 

Better health for all

As part of achieving our vision, CHI developed a unique structure that allows us to implement evidence-based, data-driven, community-informed strategies to improve population health, while also partnering with clinical and other departments across our system and with other health care providers. We call this the MaineHealth Model, a hub-and-spoke structure at the nexus of public health and health care. 

The MaineHealth Model

• Hub: An organizational center with resources that include data analytics; program evaluation; a grants office; operational and management resources; as well as some statewide and system-wide programs
• Spokes: Community health directors and teams in each local MaineHealth service area

MaineHealth CHI teams share a passion for improving the health of patients and community members. They use evidence-based programming and foster innovative and nimble approaches to public health challenges.

New England states, including Maine, are unique because they lack a statewide system of local or county public health departments. CHI is designed to leverage public-private partnerships, such as our hospitals, to reach people throughout our service area. This collaborative ethos contributes to Maine’s health status ranking being the highest among peer states with a similar median household income.