It is imperative to advocate for a renewed focus on the core public health functions of needs assessment, assurance, and policy development. Consequently, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, funded by the Child and Family Health Services Program, has developed a comprehensive plan designed to assess the health status of Cuyahoga County. This is to be accomplished by gathering data on 25 community health indicators established in the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, and develop neighborhood profiles that map existing community services designed to address these public health problems. To better understand the diversity of the county, data has been analyzed at the neighborhood municipality level. By simultaneously assessing both the needs and resources in the community, this plan will identify both strengths and gaps that will assist in programmatic development and serve to advise community leaders. Phase I of this plan focuses on a review of current resources available to conduct the assessment of these indicators, with a special focus on the preliminary analysis of the available data for five of the indicators. Subsequent phases will build on the information generated in Phase I, ultimately creating the data necessary to generate a comprehensive report on the health status of the community inclusive of data on all indicators. The primary goal is to identify and document needs, resources, and factors associated with the indicators within the community that will, in turn, build a more efficient response to these needs and improve the health of its citizens.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to: 1. List five community health indicators. 2. Identify potential neighborhood/municipality level data sources for indicators. 3. Recognize the need for a renewed focus on the core public health functions of assessment, assurance and policy development. 4. Identify limitations of implementing data collection strategies. 5. Describe the process of assessing needs and resources of a community.
Keywords: Community Health Assessment, Indicators
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: N/A
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.