Every three years, health departments across the state evaluate community health priorities and create a community health assessment to guide their efforts and inform programs and projects that are important to the people they serve.
Granville Vance Public Health recently released its 2021 health assessment, in partnership with the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, local agencies and Triangle North Healthcare Foundation. According to the document, the top three community health priorities in Vance and Granville counties are:
- mental health and substance use disorder
- access to health care – including affordability
- engaging youth to advance community health and safety
“The CHA demonstrates synergy and informs Granville and Vance County residents about the strengths of our local community as well as opportunities for improvement,” said GVPH Director Lisa Harrison.
“The CHA results are used regularly by many groups in grant applications, program development, and can serve as an important consideration for economic development opportunities,” Harrison said in a press statement accompanying the health assessment document.
The CHA includes information collected from a variety of focus group meetings of area residents, as well as other data from agencies like the U.S. Census Bureau, local government agencies, school districts and the state and federal health agencies. A steering committee met regularly to guide the process and members of the community offered feedback throughout the process.
The Community Health Improvement Plan, conducted in October, engaged partners in the two counties to develop measurable objectives to address each priority, identify evidence-based strategies to achieve those objectives, and plan evaluation and accountability throughout the next three years.
Next steps include identifying specific evidence-based interventions and programs to incorporate into their overall plan for health services that address the three health priorities that were identified in the community assessment.
The comprehensive report provides a wealth of information about the two counties served by the health district, from high school graduation rates and access to grocery stores, to safety and recreational outlets.
View the full report at http://www.gvph.org/wp
content/uploads/2022/09/GVPH-2021-CHA-Report_v2.pdf.