Community Health Assessment identifies county strengths and needed improvement

POMEROY––The Garfield County Public Health District presented their Community Health Assessment at the Spinners Maple Hall on July 25. The Assessment, presented by Chelsea Eaton of GCPHD, consists of both quantitative data from census data collection and qualitative data from the You Are Heard campaign's surveys and interviews conducted earlier this year.

The Assessment outlines both the top three reasons to live in Garfield County, according to survey results, as well as the top three areas that need improvement. The reasons to live here are the low crime rate, clean environment, and outdoor recreation opportunities. The needed improvements are housing, child care, and job opportunities.

Also identified through the survey process was a rising occurrence of anxiety and depression. GCPHD has already implemented some strategies to combat them with a Farmer's Appreciation Day and Adopt-a-Farmer program, as well as a community calendar called What's New Pomeroy, located on Facebook. The next step the GCPHD plans to take is creating a Community Health Improvement Plan, a five-year plan that uses the Assessment data to improve the community. Eaton announced that GCPHD intends to continue to use surveys to track improvement results.

The Community Health Assessment is available on Garfield County's website, as well as from GCPHD's office at the Pomeroy Elementary School.