Vision Statement

The Cumberland County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is done on a regional schedule in collaboration with Health ENC, the local health department and local hospitals. The process is designed to provide perspective on quality of life, resources and health outcomes of the community.

Its purpose is to identify social determinants of health through surveys, focus groups and secondary data to learn about the community. This assessment is the foundation for selecting health priorities that will be used in the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and to develop programs and strategies to improve the overall well-being of our citizens.

This data is informed by state and national evidence and summarizes strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. 

Leadership

The collaborative process of the 2021 Cumberland County CHNA involved the Cumberland County Department of Public Health directed by Dr. Jennifer Green, Cape Fear Valley Health System whose Chief Executive Officer is Mr. Mike Nagowski, and Health ENC led by Chairperson Melissa Roupe. This process allowed for multi-county input to review systems of care, availability and access to resources, and shared goals amongst stakeholders to gather input from residents Those responses were considered, along with recent health statistics to make informed decisions in selecting priorities to focus on in the coming years.

Health Priorities

After receiving the survey results and finding key themes from focus groups completed in the CHNA process, key stakeholders were organized to identify top priorities. The stakeholders consisted of representatives from human service agencies, Cape Fear Valley Health System, behavioral health professionals, institutes of higher education, emergency management/preparedness groups, Hispanic-serving agencies, faith-based institutions and the public health agency.

Through primary survey data, focus groups and synthesis of secondary data, key stakeholders identified top health priorities for Cumberland County. Stakeholders selected the following health priorities to focus on in the next three years:

• Economy (employment access, affordable housing, food security and low income/poverty)
• Substance Abuse (drugs, alcohol and opioid misuse)
• Public Safety (violent crime; including murder and assault)
• Mental Health

These priorities align with the Cumberland County Health Department’s current 2021-2022 Strategic Plan and have been identified as significant by the Board of Health moving forward with the 2023-2027 Health Department strategic plan.