Purpose of the Community Health Assesment

The community health assessment (CHA) is the foundation of health improvement for a community. Its purpose is to identify the factors that affect the community's health and quality of life and the resources available to address these factors. The Pender County Health Department leads a CHA every four years. The process involves working collaboratively across sectors in a steering committee, collecting and analyzing health data, and setting priorities for health improvement.  By systematically identifying a county’s health resources and challenges, county leadership can make strategic choices to prioritize top areas of concern. This report provides data and priorities to support a Community Health Improvement Planning process that outlines action steps and tracks progress on identified issues. This collaborative cycle of steady, incremental progress helps create a healthier community for all.
 

Collaboration and Community Engagement

With consultation from the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, the health department formed a steering committee that represented a myriad of sectors in the community.
County residents were engaged throughout the completion of the Healthy Pender Survey, review of community data, and participation in a community forum. While reviewing community data, community members voted on top priority areas which were discussed in further detail during an open community forum. The steering committee then used this community input to inform the selection of priorities.

Process

Together, the steering committee completed the first five steps of a community health assessment process outlined by the North Carolina Division of Public Health as shown below:

Comparisons and Targets

The CHA team collected new primary data from a community survey, and existing secondary data related to socioeconomic and health factors. Secondary data were disaggregated by race and other demographics when available. Pender County data was compared to Carteret and Franklin Counties due to similarities in population characteristics, density, geography, and demographics. Data were also compared to state averages and the Healthy North Carolina 2030 objectives.

Priorities

The steering committee initially reviewed all survey data and existing secondary data, comparing data to peer counties and Healthy North Carolina 2030 indicators. The CHA Team defined 14 topic areas as prioritization options with feedback from community meetings and a community forum. At community meetings, community members reviewed data summaries, followed by an opportunity to vote on their top three priorities. The forum provided an opportunity to discuss data themes in additional detail.
The steering committee met to review feedback from community meetings, forum discussion notes, and complete a voting process to determine Pender County’s priority areas for 2023-2026. Final priorities by leadership are:

1. Heart Health
2. Substance Use
3. Access to Care