ECU Health Medical Center (ECUHMC) and Pitt County Health Department (PCHD) are pleased to present the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), which provides an overview of the methods and processes used to identify and prioritize significant health priorities and indicators in Pitt County. This CHNA is also part of a regional collaborative with Health ENC that is comprised of health departments and hospitals in eastern North Carolina. Health ENC uses a shared approach for primary and secondary data collection to produce a comprehensive Regional Community Health Needs Assessment, in addition to individual county assessments. As part of the Affordable Care Act, not for profit and government hospitals are required to conduct CHNAs every three years. Similarly, local health departments in North Carolina are required by the Division of Public Health (DPH) in the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) to conduct community health assessments once every four years. PCHD has elected to conduct an assessment every three years, in collaboration with (ECUHMC) Since 1997, ECUHMH (formerly Vidant Health Medical Center), the PCHD and Pitt Partners for Health (PPH) have conducted joint CHNAs and worked together to build a healthier Pitt County. PPH is a grassroots organization consisting of local stakeholders that started in 1995 and serves as the county’s comprehensive health coalition. ECUHMC’s Community Health Programs department serves as the administrative agency for PPH. The data collection portion of this CHNA is composed of primary data (community opinion survey and focus groups) and secondary data, including morbidity and mortality statistics, as well as emergency department and inpatient admissions statistics from ECUHMC.

The CHNA data were reported at a virtual PPH meeting in November of 2021 by representatives from the health department and hospital. At a subsequent meeting, a consultant from the North Carolina Division of Public Health provided a presentation on “Healthy NC 2030: A Path toward Health.” This presentation represented work by a State task force, led by the NC Institute of Medicine, that prioritized health equity by selecting indicators related to health disparities within the State. Indicator topics included Social & Economic Factors, Physical Environment, Health Behaviors, Clinical Care, and Health Outcomes. PPH members were given the opportunity to vote for the top three health priorities/indicators to address over the next three years, based upon the needs represented by the data, and availability of adequate support in the PPH coalition and the community. These include:

1. Access to Care/Social Determinants of Health (Individuals living below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level);
2. Healthy lifestyles (Limited access to healthy foods);
3. Mental / Behavioral Health (Adverse childhood experiences; Individuals living below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level).