Rutherford’s collaborative process is supported on a regional level by WNC Healthy Impact. Locally, our process begins with the collection of data that is completed through a partnership with WNC Healthy Impact to conduct this assessment from January 2021 through December 2021. In working with WNC Healthy Impact, the CHA Advisory Committee had the opportunity to assist with collecting primary data, which included telephone surveys of 239 residents and key informant surveys completed by community key leaders. Team members also accessed the WNC Healthy Impact Secondary Data Workbook including a comprehensive set of secondary data from the NC State Center for Health Statistics, US Census Bureau, CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and other sources, and maps from Community Commons. All collected data, which is not only specific to the health status of Rutherford County, but also
demonstrates how it relates to the Western North Carolina region, was then analyzed and prioritized with the input of a preliminary data team. This initial data team, Foothills Health District, chose the top 4 health priorities utilizing a prioritization process based on the Rating/Ranking Key Health Issues (Health Resources in Action) worksheet. These were narrowed down to the top three health priorities again utilizing a process based on the Rating/Ranking Key Health Issues (Health Resources in Action) worksheet. The top three health priorities and data will then be presented to the Community Health Council of Rutherford County and other county stakeholders after CHA submission. Phase 1 of the collaborative process began in January 2021 with the collection of community health data. For more details on this process see Chapter 1 – Community Health Assessment Process.

Key Findings
In 2020 the total population of Rutherford County was 64,444 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021). There is a slightly higher proportion of females than males (51.7% female, 48.3% male). The majority of residents are White (87%) with minorities represented as follows: Black or African American (9.9%), Hispanic or Latino (4.8%), Asian (0.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%), and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (0.1%) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021).
In 2018 the Health Priorities included: Active living and Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery. The data showed that the percent of individuals who did not have any leisure-time physical activity in the past month went down 3% whereas the percent of individuals who meet the physical activity recommendations went up to 17.4% from 16.5% in 2018. When it came to substance abuse there was a decent drop in the percentage individuals who used prescription opiates/opioids in the past year with or without a prescription went down from 26.7% to 16.1% (WNC Health Network, 2021).
Other findings to notice are the obesity and diabetes levels within the county. For obesity the percentage went from 49.8%in 2018 to 48.2% in 2021. The data for the percentage of the prevalence of diabetes showed that there was a decrease from 2018 that was 20.3% to 2021 that is 17.9%.

Health Priorities
• Food Insecurity
• Prevalence of Diabetes
• Obesity

Next Steps
The Foothills Health District will share the CHA findings with the Community Health Council and members of Rutherford Regional Health System. An electronic copy will be made available on the Foothills Health District website at http://www.foothillshd.org/ and printed copies will be made available at the Health Department, the local library, and printed upon request.

In partnership with community leaders and existing work groups, the Foothills Health District will support planning and taking action around the health priorities. We will better understand the story and root causes behind the priority issues and will engage with existing and new partners to help improve these issues and move the needle in the right direction towards the common goal of making Rutherford County a healthier place to live, work, and play.

• Food Insecurity
• Prevalence of Diabetes
• Obesity