Choosing priorities for Henderson County’s health

Published: Wednesday, July 3, 2019

By KIM HORTON
Times-News Columnist

Everyone has priorities. Some are non-negotiable like paying a tax bill. Some involve negotiating with family members about whether or not everyone should attend a family reunion. How about the day-to-day decisions we make about what to eat? Some are healthy choices; some not so healthy. But whatever we choose, our personal priorities about health shape those decisions.

It’s no different for the folks who come together to determine what’s the county’s health priorities should be for the next three years. That exercise, called the Community Health Assessment (CHA), results in a report that identifies the factors that affect the health of a population and determines the resources within the community to address these factors. It’s important because it’s local, and it affects everyone. The report assesses what choices we’ve made and what we choose to do to allow us to live a long, healthy life.

While stakeholders opted to keep the same four priorities from 2015, this time they have added specific areas to focus on within each priority:

Mental Health — access to care, youth considering suicide and adverse childhood experiences

Substance Abuse — use of opioids, youth using e-vape products

Physical Activity and Nutrition — food insecurity, physical activity

Safe and Affordable Housing — total cost-burden, rental spending.

“These issues are still affecting the way we live, work and play,” said Community Health Improvement Director Stacy Taylor. “Although much progress addressing them has happened the past three years, there’s lots more to be done.”

Consider the following health indicators:

Mental Health

  • 21.4% of ninth graders reported seriously considering suicide in the last year.
  • 13% of adults reported having four of more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Note: ACEs questions were included for the first time in the Community Phone Survey tool in 2018. ACEs refer to whether the participant experienced (as a child) any of the following—household mental illness, household substance abuse, incarcerated household member, parental separation or divorce, intimate partner violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse.

Substance Abuse

  • 21.8% of adults reported using opiates/opioids in the past year—with or without a prescription.
  • 39% of ninth graders reported that they have used an electronic vapor product.

Physical Activity and Nutrition

  • 1 out of 5 adults report they have run out of food or worried about running out of food at least once in the past year.
  • 1 out of 3 children are overweight or obese.

Safe and Affordable Housing

  • 46.4% of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing, and 18.8% of renters spend more than half their income on housing.
  • 24% of all households in Henderson County are cost burdened (spend more than 30% of total income on housing).

These are just some of the hundreds of health indicators that were collected. I encourage you to view the report for more details about how data was collected and what was found. The CHA report is available online at www.hendersoncountync.gov/health/page/community-data. Residents may also view the report at the main library and all branches.

The community is invited to participate on action teams related to one or more of the priorities. These action teams will have a positive impact on priorities at the county level. Residents interested in joining an action team should contact Taylor at 828-694-6063.

The CHA is facilitated in partnership with Advent Health Hendersonville, Pardee UNC Health Care, and the Henderson County Partnership for Health, with support of the Henderson County Board of Health, in addition to local public health agencies and individuals.

Henderson County is part of a larger community health assessment and improvement effort taking place in the region called WNC Healthy Impact. This is 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.

 

Kim Horton is the communications manager for the Henderson County Department of Public Health. She can be reached at khorton@hendersoncountync.gov.

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