Healthy Chesapeake is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that acts as the population health arm of Chesapeake Health Department. Healthy Chesapeake is governed by a board and a coalition which works laterally to support our programs. Our coalition is composed of over 30 various groups including: for-profits, non-profits, NGOs, institutions, faith-based organizations, corporate partners, private clubs, and governmental agencies. We are a non-competitive organization designed to connect people’s needs with community resources. Our goal is to build collaborations that perform outreach services which provide maximum benefit to Chesapeake’s population health and ensure equity coverage for all.

Under the guidance of Dr. Nancy Welch, the Chesapeake Health Department Director, a discussion began in late summer 2015. Representatives from the City, Health Department, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Chesapeake Regional Medical Center began to address the declining health conditions in our community. This working group invited agencies and service providers to an event on September 16, 2015. The purpose of the meeting was to determine if there was a need to develop a community coalition. From this coalition, Healthy Chesapeake was created.

Background checks are required for volunteers. Once you’ve connected with our Volunteer Coordinator, you will be directed to our online application (managed by the Chesapeake Medical Reserve Corps.). The online application will give you more details. All volunteers regardless of their level are screened, including the national sex offender database, to check for a criminal record.

Yes, donations are welcome through our website and Healthy Chesapeake is a non-profit organization designated by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

A critical aspect for us is that all programs supported by Healthy Chesapeake are evaluated by our Evaluation and Research team led by Old Dominion University’s Center for Global Health. It is mandatory to provide data, comply with research gathering requests, and participate in evaluation sessions as determined by the research and evaluation team. Our intent is to ensure that we have an accurate impact analysis in place to maximize our effectiveness.