Issue of the Month: Kent County Health Needs Assessment

Over the past several months, The Kent County Health Department has been working with more than 60 community partners, including the area’s major hospitals and mental health providers, to collect data for a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The results from the CHNA will be used to formulate a Community Health Improvement Plan which will address the issues identified in the CHNA. Community input for the CHNA included 12 focus groups with nearly 120 participants. The Health Department made sure to receive input from a racially and ethnically diverse group of individuals throughout Kent County having a broad range of life experiences and economic backgrounds. The CHNA identified more than 40 Strategic Issues that community stakeholders would like addressed. I participated in a process to rank these 40 Strategic Issues in early November. The top three issues identified through this process were: (1) Ensure all community members, including the uninsured and working poor, have access to affordable healthcare, including preventive care and a “medical home” , (2) Reduce the racial disparity in infant mortality prevention services, and (3) Ensure access to quality dental care for all citizens. The CHNA Steering Committee will immediately begin engaging the community in developing strategies to address these three high ranking issues. These will be outlined in the Community Health Improvement Plan. I will let you know information as the Plan becomes available.