Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) give a snapshot of the health status of a community, including needs, assets, and disparities. By utilizing data from existing sources (secondary data) and data collected as part of the CHNA (primary data), CHNAs provide data across peer counties and the State alongside survey responses from county residents. The process of prioritizing health issues and creating action plans allows local health agencies to focus resources on topics that are important to community members and that are likely to improve overall health in their county.

Healthy Rowan Vision Statement

Healthy Rowan seeks to utilize the collaborative strength of many community partners to identify and address health and quality of life issues in Rowan County.

Leadership

The Healthy Rowan Executive Committee served as the steering committee for decision-making for the Community Health Needs Assessment program. This committee includes: Krista Woolly, Community Care Clinic of Rowan County, Don Holloman and Brittany Payne, Cabarrus-Rowan Community Health Centers, Dari Caldwell, Rowan County Board of Health, Alyssa Harris, Rowan County Public Health, Karen Alexander, Mayor for the City of Salisbury, Judy Klusman, Rowan County Commissioner, Karen South-Jones, Rowan Youth Services Bureau, Zack Shepherd, Vaya Health, Melissa Marshburn, Cardinal Healthcare Innovations, and Desiree Dunston and Kristen Trexler, Novant Health Rowan Medical Center.

We would like to give special acknowledgement to the Healthy Rowan Coalition members for their dedication and attention to the process. This group served as the Task Force for the assessment and represented a broad understanding of county characteristics and the resources available.

In addition to the Healthy Rowan Coalition members, collaborators would also like to send sincere appreciation to community leaders that shared information in their respective areas.

• Population Demographics – Alyssa Harris, Rowan County Health Department
• Social and Economic Factors – Micah Ennis, Rowan County Department of Social Services
• Crime and Safety – Chief Jerry Stokes, City of Salisbury Police Department
• K-12 Education – Andrew Smith, Rowan-Salisbury School System
• Early Childhood Education – Amy Brown and Sarah Paynter, Smart Start
• Maternal Morbidity and Mortality – Alyssa Harris, Rowan County Health Department
• Sexually Transmitted Infections/Disease – Meredith Littell, Rowan County Health Department
• Dental Care – Dr. Brett Leslie, Community Care Clinic of Rowan
• Lifestyle Medicine – Jenn West, Healthy Rowan
• Pediatric Clinical Care – Dr. Jennifer Hudson, Salisbury Pediatrics
• Adverse Childhood Experience – Shawn Edman, Prevent Child Abuse
• Substance Use – Lauren Alexander Persse, YSUP Rowan
• Mental Health – Heather Hedrick, Daymark Recovery Services
• Homelessness and Housing – Kyna Grubb, Rowan Helping Ministries
• Planning – Hannah Jacobson, City of Salisbury

Partnerships & Regional/ Contracted Services

The Rowan County Health Department, Novant Health Rowan Medical Center, and Healthy Rowan collaborated to complete this Community Health Needs Assessment with support from the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health between September 2021 and March 2022. Community and organizational representatives participated throughout the assessment process, including the Community Health Opinion Survey (CHOS), secondary data presentations, and the selection of priority topics.

Theoretical Framework

Each year, the County Health Rankings and Roadmap program releases its findings on comparative indicators in health factors and health outcomes within each state. This program is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The County Health Rankings model uses many measures to understand a community’s health outcomes, as well as the health factors that impact present and future health. In 2021, Rowan County ranked in the lower middle range of counties in NC (lower 25%-50%) in health outcomes and health factors. The assessment findings (chapter 3) of Rowan County's Community Health Needs Assessment is organized based on the County Health Rankings model.

Collaborative Process Summary

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services outlines eight standard phases for the Community Health Needs Assessment process: establish CHNA team, collect primary data, collect secondary data, analyze, and interpret data, determine health priorities, create CHNA document, share CHNA document, and develop Community Health Improvement Plans (previously referred to as action plans).

Key Findings

Three main priority areas were identified in the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment. The three priority areas identified included Mental Health, Substance Use, and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors. Healthy Rowan Coalition members identified these areas based on magnitude of the impact to a large portion of the community, seriousness of consequences if these issues are not addressed, and their feasibility to improve the health of the community. These three priority areas will be the focus for programs and interventions until the next CHNA cycle.

Next Steps

The Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) uses CHNA data to organize priority issues, develop and implement strategies for action, collect data, and establish accountability. This scorecard is available to the community online and will be updated on a monthly, half-year, or annual basis depending on the type of data needed. Through looking at the CHIP, organizations and community members can see how each priority area is being addressed, and what actions are being taken, as well as if interventions are making a change.

1. Mental Health
2. Substance Use
3. Healthy Lifestyles (Nutrition & Physical Activity)