NP
In 1998, the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, a CDC-sponsored research facility, compiled a comprehensive community health report for the Lower Naugatuck Valley of Connecticut. The original "Valley Health Profile" included data about the six neighboring towns, three of which are federally underserved areas, from the 1990 Census Report, the Connecticut Tumor Registry, the 1996 Registration Report from the state's public health department, and the Naugatuck Valley Health District. The objectives of this project have been to: (1) update the data collected in the original profile; (2) create a more complete health report of the area by expanding the contents of the profile to include new information; (3) identify and remedy deficiencies in current data collection methods so that information from future surveys can be utilized more effectively; (4) incorporate the concerns of the community in assessing its own health needs; and (5) enhance collaborative effort and information sharing between community-based agencies and health service organizations. Ultimately, this project is a step towards more efficient allocation of limited health resources. Routine evaluation of the health profile of a community, such as the Lower Naugatuck Valley, helps health planners and policy makers analyze trends in health data so that interventions can be tailored to the community and that disparities in health are appropriately addressed. By maintaining a section on methods of data collection in the health report, the authors anticipate the project can be used as a model for other communities striving to develop a comprehensive health report.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to: 1. Define the type of data that should be collected in assessing the health profile of a community. 2. Recognize obstacles to efficient data collection and data sharing among different community agencies. 3. Apply some of the principles of compiling a health profile to other communities
Keywords: Community Health, Community Collaboration
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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.