In 2017, St. Luke’s Magic Valley determined a study was warranted to inform the development of a Community Health Prevention Program. With Twin Falls the central hub and largest city in the region, the focus was centered on it.

At the time, St. Luke’s Magic Valley, in partnership with community stakeholders, was interested in understanding health disparities, identifying community challenges and proposing equitable solutions to address needs. As a result, the Healthy Conditions Assessment (HCA) study was completed between 2018-2019. The results of HCA yielded community-wide themes of crisis/trauma, lack of transportation options, housing affordability, and deterioration of families resulting from substance abuse, intimate partner violence, and incarceration.

The Center for Community Health is a comprehensive community health initiative slated to serve an expansive region of south-central Idaho, encompassing Twin Falls County. The consortium strategically engages eight community stakeholders, St. Luke’s Magic Valley, the College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls County, the City of Twin Falls, the Twin Falls School District, South Central Public Health, Strategic Financial Group and Family Health Services to tackle health care disparities in the region. The long-term goal of the Center for Community Health is to advance health equity and accessibility to the most vulnerable individuals and families in Twin Falls and surrounding counties

Through findings provided by the HCA, the consortium began to explore models to advance health equity in the community. The community lacked a central hub, (physical or virtual), that offers a full-service center to triage and provide referrals, and programs for health resources led by culturally competent community healthcare workers. The consortium understood that without this service high acuity needs go untreated or are under-served. The goal of the Center of Community Health (CCH) is to provide free, non-clinical care navigation services to Twin Falls residents and the broader Magic Valley (Twin Falls County). Each partner provides key elements to bring the center to life. By incorporating equity-focused strategies, the group aims to reduce health disparities through a culturally competent and inclusive care model, targeted towards vulnerable populations.