Agenda - 02-18-1997 - 8h - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Community Health Assessment is an opportunity to gather information on a host of issues impacting the health and well being of county residents. The aim is to extract key messages from abundant sources of information and compile them in a single document that can be used as the basis for objective decision making. Specifically, the Healthy Carolinians Task Force will use the findings from the Community Health Assessment to identify priority problems warranting action through future community health improvement initiatives. The findings should also be helpful in the policy making and planning activities of health and human service organizations serving Orange County. Overview-of The Community Health Assessment is based on a broad concept of"health.". The Community Health Assessment team began by looking at basic "biomedical" health measures, such as the leading causes of death , the number of persons hospitalized for specific diseases, or the proportion of babies born with a healthy birth weight. Mental health was included as important measure of an individual's well being. Oral (dental) health was also recognized as an significant public health issue; data on oral health currently being compiled will be included in subsequent presentations and drafts of this report. The assessment team explored the factors that help to explain health status indicators by gathering information on the "health behaviors" of Orange County residents. It posed questions like, "What percentage of children are fully immunized by age 27" "What proportion of residents smoke?" "What proportion of Orange County women give birth with the advantage of adequate prenatal care?" The assessment team turned to the community to expand the definition of health. Citizens throughout the county were asked to name the issues that impact health and well being in their communities. County residents spoke out about problems that might be considered "social ills," such as