This news item expired on Sunday, May 31, 2015 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
Buncombe County is one of 16 counties involved in telephone surveys that are underway across western North Carolina for the community health assessment. This assessment is conducted every three years and provides insight into the current health of our region.
We are encouraging the public to participate in this survey if called. The data gathered will be used to set health priorities to focus on over the next three years.
Data collected during the health assessment represents a broad look at health including: basic information about age, race and gender; income; education; how healthy individuals think they are; and activities that impact their health such as physical activity levels, amount of healthy foods people eat, and access to clinical care. This data helps us understand what the community believes their health issues are so we can assure we are meeting the most pressing needs.
“For Buncombe County, the last community health assessment helped highlight continued concerns with obesity, as well as the social and economic issues that impact our health such as poverty,” said Jan Shepard, Buncombe County Public Health Director. “Our community identified healthy living, women’s health before pregnancy, early child development and improving the linkages between clinical providers and community health supports as priority areas of focus.”
To address these complex priorities, the Community Health Improvement Program brought together over 100 local cross-sector partners to drive results together. Their work won national attention for building a healthier community and Buncombe County is now an official Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize winner. This work is being continued through a network of partnerships that spans our diverse community.
Research shows better outcomes are achieved when addressing complex health needs by identifying underlying factors that influence health outcomes and then coordinating efforts to address them. Buncombe County Health and Human Services is fortunate to have the support of many partners across a number of domains working together to make advances in the health of our community.
Across the region, the County is part of a larger community health assessment and improvement effort taking place called WNC Healthy Impact. WNC Healthy Impact is a regional collaboration between hospitals, health departments and their partners working to improve community health.
You can view the most recent 2014 State of the County’s Health Report as well as the Community Health Assessment on the Buncombe Health & Human Services website at www.buncombecounty.org/healthreports and the WNC Healthy Impact website at www.WNCHealthyImpact.com.
For more information contact Nelle Gregory at (828) 250-5056.