Goochland charts healthier future with five-year community plan

GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Goochland County is charting a healthier future with a five-year Goochland County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).

The plan, which covers 2025 through 2029, is aimed at improving health in Goochland County and supporting local non-profits as they address the county's most pressing health concerns. Released on Friday, Aug. 22, the plan was developed in partnership with local nonprofit organizations, government agencies and residents.

The plan has been described as "a living document" that focuses on three main priorities: older adult support and services, mental health and attainable and safe housing. It is based on the 2024 Goochland County Community Health Assessment (CHA), per a release from the county.

“We’re thankful for all the support from those who contributed to this plan,” stated Amelia Swafford, Community Health Coordinator for the Chickahominy Health District. “We are excited to work closely with county partners and community members to advance Goochland’s health and wellbeing!"

Goochland's population has grown in recent years. In 2024, the county reached a population of 28,223, marking a 14.1% increase since 2020. White people also make up 78.8% of the Goochland population.

In response to this notable growth and shift, the Goochland Community Partners met virtually via Microsoft Teams to identify three top priorities and essentially begin shaping the CHIP. After reviewing data and conducting interactive talks, participants identified the three top three health concerns to focus on over the course of five years.

Priority 1: Older adult support and services

With 22.8% of residents now aged 65 or older, Goochland is seeing an increase in the senior population and now sees it becoming a rising priority.

In its issue statement, it emphasized older adults' concerns and served as the foundation to expand support and services to "enable older adults to age in place and strengthen community programs through increased collaboration among various organizations," per the report.

Challenges facing seniors include healthcare access, transportation, social isolation and financial gaps.

A workgroup dedicated to this first priority held monthly meetings from Feb. 7 to May 9 to identify solutions

Priority 2: Mental health

Mental health remains another top priority for Goochland, with serious concerns about risk and protective factors. This includes a shortage of providers, high suicide rates and barriers like transportation and isolation.

This plan comes as many Americans struggle to even access treatment at mental health facilities, per Stacker. For many, there is a concerning gap in mental health support for young people across the country, as a majority of teenagers struggling with mental health are not receiving adequate care.

As a result, the county aims to do the following to better people's access to mental health care:

• Expand health care access to care (telehealth, mobile services)
• Improve awareness with trainings (MHFA, QPR, ACEs)
• Strengthen partnerships across schools, first responders and nonprofits
• Build community connectedness through intergenerational events and veteran-student projects

"Our approach to this issue includes addressing mental health risk factors specific to the county, such as transportation and social isolation, and increasing protective factors, such as mental health literacy and social connectedness," the workgroup said in its statement.

The mental health workgroup reportedly met eight times from Feb. 25 to May 20.

Priority 2: Attainable and safe housing

More than two years after the City of Richmond declared a housing crisis, attainable and safe housing for everyone -- regardless of income -- is becoming a top concern for Goochland County this year.

The group emphasized many of their top concerns, which include lack of affordable, safe housing for all ages and income levels.

According to Virginia code, “affordable housing” is defined as housing that people with incomes at or below the area median income are able to pay for with no more than 30% of their gross annual income.

Many goals to bridge the gap in the affordable housing crisis in the county include restarting the Housing GVA Steering Committee, reviewing Goochland’s Comprehensive Plan, exploring zoning/policy changes and supporting programs such as GoochlandCares and Habitat for Humanity.

Yet, of all the priorities, this particular one had long-term strategies, which included incentives for developers, ADUs, land banks, tax breaks for seniors and mixed-use and infill development.

However, it's not just Goochland that is addressing these concerns. In early July, a citywide survey revealed that housing affordability is the top concern for Richmond residents.

The group reportedly met monthly from February to June.

Moving forward

Residents are encouraged to join Goochland Community Partners, share ideas and sign up for updates.

Chickahominy Health District’s Community Health Team will send E-newsletters with updates on CHIP progress.

CHIP outlined desired deadlines for the following goals, with the intention to meet at least goals by the end of this year or 2026. The county's plan reportedly matches Virginia's Plan for Well-being -- also for 2025 to 2029 -- in areas of mental health, housing and economic stability.

The attainable and safe housing reportedly held its first meeting in February and met monthly through June.

For a detailed, more comprehensive overview of the goals outlined, you read the full plan here.