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.

Vance County’s new COVID-19 cases dropped by half in the last week, with 24 new cases being reported in the 7-day period that ended Mar. 4, according to information from Granville Vance Public Health.

That reduction puts the county’s percent positivity rate at 5.3 percent, lowering it from high transmission to substantial transmission.

Granville County’s community transmission rate remains in the high category, with 4.7 percent positivity and 65 new cases in the same 7-day period. The state’s percent positive rate is slightly lower than either Vance or Granville at 4.3 percent.

Total cases of COVID-19 in Vance total 11,763 and Granville cases total 14,105. There have been no new deaths reported in the last week; total deaths across the health district are 223, with 112 in Vance County and 111 in Granville County.

A total of 60 percent of the population in Vance County over the age of 5 have gotten at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or the single-shot J & J. In Granville County, that figure is 65 percent. Both counties fall below the statewide average of 71 percent who are fully vaccinated.

GVPH Director Lisa Harrison stated in the update that North Carolina has begun to move to monitoring weekly trends rather than daily data points.

“The NC DHHS data dashboard is shifting into a model where individuals can check in with the data track once a week and make decisions about their own risk and determine whether they need to add layers of protection, such as masking indoors or avoiding crowds,” Harrison said.

As restrictions ease and mask mandates Iifted, Harrison said it is important to remember that the risk for infection remains.

It’s important to remember that COVID-19 is still with us even though we are reaching less risky phases across our community and state. It is okay to choose to wear masks even when the risks have diminished – please remember there are those who may be especially vulnerable to illness,” she said.

Visit https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/25/health/cdc-covid-metrics-mask-guidance/index.html to learn more.