FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2019
For more information, please contact:
Lauren Wood, MS, HHSA Health Education Supervisor
(828) 452-6675 or lauren.wood@haywoodcountync.gov
Haywood County Announces Priority Health Issues for the Next Three Years and Release of Community Health Assessment
In collaboration with community partners, Haywood County Health & Human Services Agency has worked since fall 2018 to prioritize key health issues and complete a community health assessment (CHA). Every three years we collect and review current data that reflects our county’s health and use this information to determine what actions are needed improve the community’s health.
Our newest Community Health Assessment is now available to the public, and it highlights the process and data our county used to determine our health priorities. For 2019-2021, the priority health areas are:
- Mental Health & Substance Use
- Perinatal & Early Child Health
- Chronic Disease Prevention
Haywood County’s CHA report is available on our County website, Healthy Haywood website, in County Government offices and with other community partners.
“We were pleased with the robust community interaction and input that led to this Community Health Assessment. But it’s more than a report – it’s an effort to create a healthier Haywood County to shape how well we live and how long we live,” said HHSA Public Health Director Patrick Johnson. “We’re also grateful for the support provided by Haywood Regional Medical Center in our community health assessment process.”
Our next step, community health strategic planning, will create a plan to address these issues. We welcome additional community input in the next phase over the next few months.
If you’re interested in helping our community take action on one of these issues, contact Lauren Wood at (828) 452-6675 or lauren.wood@haywoodcountync.gov or keep informed by reviewing updates and upcoming meeting dates at www.healthyhaywood.com.
Further Resources:
Our county is part of a larger community health assessment and improvement effort taking place in the region called WNC Healthy Impact, a partnership and coordinated process between public health agencies, hospitals, and key regional partners in western North Carolina. This regional effort is supported financially by all the hospitals in the region, and is housed and coordinated by WNC Health Network.
PDF Of Press Release
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