Regional Core Group for Community Health Assessments

Photo is of the Southeast Ohio Regional Core Group, consisting of Gallia, Jackson, Vinton, and Meigs County Health Departments and Holzer Health System representatives.

Holzer Health System has organized a Southeast Ohio Regional Core Group, consisting of Gallia, Jackson, Vinton, and Meigs County Health Departments and Holzer Health System representatives, which is working toward completing a regional Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The regional CHNA will identify key health needs and issues through systematic, comprehensive data collection and analysis. The findings from these health assessments guide the group in completing a region-wide health improvement plan. A community health improvement planning process is a long-term, systematic effort to address public health problems based on the results of community health assessment activities and the community health improvement process. Holzer and the local health departments are committed to a shared vision and common agenda with an understanding that no single organization can create a large-scale and lasting change within the region.

The primary goal of this Regional Core Group is to improve the health of the populations within the Southeast Ohio region. To guide their efforts, this group is utilizing the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) process, created by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). MAPP is a community-driven strategic planning process for improving community health. This framework helps our community partners prioritize public health issues and identify resources to address them. The MAPP process consists of 6 phases with the regional core group currently in Phase 3, collecting and analyzing data. Data is being collected through surveys, local public health system assessments, and a series of community and health provider focus groups. Data collection will conclude by the end of March with the group then compiling data and determining the key strategic issues in each county.

For more information or to participate in the survey, visit www.holzer.org/ctsa, or call (740) 446-5828.