The Health Policy and Planning (HPP) team convened on March 15-16, 2022, for a staff retreat. The goals of the retreat were to reassess priority areas, goals and objectives, incorporate lessons from the pandemic, and build a cohesive and stronger team. 

The HPP team has expanded significantly in the past year. The retreat afforded the new team the opportunity to meet, highlight the great work the team has done, and identify opportunities to continue and expand work that will influence health promoting strategies for the county. The two-day event was full of opportunities for team building that included a beautiful nature walk and the opportunity to meet the animals who call the Elkus Ranch home.

The team also conducted a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis, discussed characteristics of successes and challenges to identify core competencies of the team, and dedicated time to reflect on the work that has been done despite a global pandemic.

Excerpts from evaluation comments (shown below) underscore the importance of having the retreat and will help facilitate our continued work with community partners:

• The location and ability to connect with nature and our coworkers was wonderful
• Excellent way to start the day and set expectation for our work
• Reflecting on the past makes me hopeful for the future