HNC2030 SCORECARD: CHEROKEE COUNTY 2021-2024

Executive Summary

CherokeeCounty-2021-CHA-Final_1.pdf

Community Results Statement

The vision of the Cherokee County Health Department is to promote, nurture, and protect the health of our community. This vision along with the combined efforts of our local hospital partner Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital and other community partners will help create a healthy and safe Cherokee County.

Leadership and Partnership for the Community Health Assessment Process

During 2021-2022, the Cherokee County Health Department facilitated the development of this comprehensive Community Health Assessment by engaging multiple organizations and community members; by outlining the need for certain decisions and interventions; and by creating a positive environment for discussion and change.

Regional/Contracted Services

Our county received support from WNC Healthy Impact, a partnership and coordinated process between hospitals, public health agencies, and key regional partners in western North Carolina working towards a vision of improved community health. We work together locally and regionally to assess health needs, develop collaborative plans, take action, and evaluate progress and impact. 

This innovative regional effort is coordinated and supported by WNC Health Network. WNC Health Network is the alliance of stakeholders working together to improve health and healthcare in western North Carolina. Learn more at www.WNCHN.org.

Theoretical Framework/Model

WNC Health Network provides local hospitals and public health agencies with tools and support to collect, visualize, and respond to complex community health data through Results-Based Accountability™ (RBA). RBA is a disciplined, common sense approach to thinking and acting with a focus on how people, agencies, and communities are better off for our efforts.

Collaborative Process Summary

Cherokee County’s collaborative process is supported on a regional level by WNC Healthy Impact.

Locally, our process is to share our Community Health Assessment Primary and Secondary data with our CHA team and Board of Health to identify and prioritize health issues. 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.

For more details on this process see Chapter 1 – Community Health Assessment Process.

Key Findings

Issues such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and COPD continue to cause a major burden on our health status. Lifestyle behaviors and health status such as inactivity, obesity, and lack of proper nutrition are continuing to be an issue facing our community.

Health Priorities

1. Cancer Control and Prevention
2. Chronic Disease Control and Prevention
3. Access to Healthcare

Next Steps

CHA leadership and partners will work with community members to better understand the story and root causes behind our priority health issues. New and existing partners will be engaged to help to do better on these issues.

We will identify what works to do better through research on evidence-based strategies, observing what is working in other communities, and engaging priority populations. Strategies will be selected, as well as performance measures to ensure that residents are better off because of them.

Why Is This Important?

Cancer is known as the second leading cause of death affecting one in three individuals in the United States; in 2015-2019 there were a total of 424 deaths in Cherokee County from cancer.  Unfortunately, cancer doesn’t just affect one organ, it can affect several. Cancer develops when our body stops removing the old cells and continues to make new ones. Over the years, medical interventions have improved, but the burden cancer causes on a person, their family, and the community is still impactful. To avoid the unnecessary burdens that cancer causes, Cherokee County has decided to make awareness of preventive measures and early screenings to try to eliminate a devastating diagnosis or prognosis.

What Is It?

QuitlineNC is a comprehensive smoking cessation program designed to empower individuals across North Carolina to break free from tobacco addiction. This program offers personalized support, tailored quit plans, access to cessation aids, educational resources, and community support to help participants achieve their goal of quitting smoking for good. With proven success, free and confidential services, and a focus on promoting a healthier future, QuitlineNC is committed to supporting individuals on their journey to a smoke-free life.

Partners

The partners for promotion for QUITLINE include:

Updates

Updates

Why Is This Important?

Chronic Disease continues to be prevalent within our county and is causing more premature deaths than overdose and motor vehicle accidents combined. In 2016-2020, Cherokee County had 476 total deaths pertaining to heart disease. Prevention is imperative because studies have shown that effective prevention can stop or delay many chronic diseases and limit their negative impact. All health is connected, meaning that one chronic disease can contribute to other diseases down the road. Therefore, the best action plan for chronic diseases is to manage the condition at hand and keep it as stable as one can. By remaining stable, other chronic diseases are delayed from occurring.  Our goal is to limit the burden that chronic disease has on not only the individual, but the community as a whole.

What Is It?

The strategy of "Chronic Disease Management Compliance Through Low-Cost Sliding Fee Scale Services" focuses on enhancing access to affordable healthcare for individuals managing chronic diseases. By implementing a sliding fee scale system, healthcare providers can offer services at reduced costs based on patients' ability to pay, ensuring financial accessibility for those facing economic challenges. This approach aims to improve compliance with chronic disease management plans by removing financial barriers to essential medications, treatments, and preventive care services. By prioritizing affordability and accessibility, this strategy strives to empower individuals to effectively manage their chronic conditions, leading to better health outcomes and enhanced quality of life.

Partners

The partners for this strategy include:

Updates

What Is It?

View From Here WNC is the product of a 19 county collaboration spreading from Cherokee to McDowell, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and community based organization, UNETE. This umbrella social media campaign focuses on improving the lives of WNC residents by addressing the top three shared health priorities in our region, Substance Use, Mental Health, Healthy Eating/ Active Living as well as COVID/Flu Vaccinations.

Why Is This Important?

Access to primary care can encourage preventive health care and improve health outcomes. Many rural areas of North Carolina lack adequate access to medical professionals, including those providing primary care and secondary care.

Rural communities such as Cherokee County also often struggle with access to mental health and substance use programs and services.  Lack of providers and transportation in the community are barriers to access for care. People, including children and adolescents, with untreated mental health disorders are at high risk for many unhealthy and unsafe behaviors, including alcohol or drug abuse, violent or self-destructive behavior, and suicide. Mental health disorders also have a serious impact on physical health and are associated with the prevalence, progression, and outcome of some of today’s most pressing chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Mental health disorders can have harmful and long-lasting effects—including high psychosocial and economic costs—not only for people living with the disorder, but also for their families, schools, workplaces, and communities. 

Substance use and abuse are health issues which often are major contributors to death and disability.  People who suffer from abuse or dependence are at risk for premature death, injuries, and disability.  In addition, substance use and misuse can have adverse consequences for families and communities. Having a substance use disorder affects an individual’s relationships with family and friends, ability to attend school or work, their overall physical and mental health, and may lead to problems with the legal system. 

Mental health and physical health are closely connected.  Mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, affect people’s ability to participate in health promoting behaviors.  In turn, problems with physical health, such as chronic diseases, can have a serious impact on mental health and decrease a person’s ability to participate in treatment and recovery.  Access to comprehensive, quality health care services is important for the achievement of health equity and for increasing the quality of a healthy life for everyone. 

Source: Healthy People 2030 and Healthy NC 2030

What Is It?

The strategy to "Increase provision of safety-net family planning services" aims to bolster access to essential reproductive health services for individuals and families who may face barriers to care due to financial constraints or lack of insurance coverage.

Partners

The partners for this strategy include:

Updates

[Guidance: This section is a great place to let the public know how things are going. Insert links to newspaper stories; insert photos of partners in this work with quotes about their work; insert videos of programs in action. Date the entries so people know that this section is timely.]

Progress on CHIPs

For progress on CHIPs, please see the "updates" note tab for each program/ strategy: 

 Cancer:

• Promotion and Referral to Quitlne NC 

Chronic Disease: 

• Chronic Disease Management 
• View From Here - Cherokee County

Access: 

• Increase provision of safety-net family planning services

Morbidity and Mortality Changes Since Last CHA

The following represent significant morbidity and mortality changes in our community.

Cherokee County- 2022 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps

Cherokee County, according to the 2022 Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings, is positioned at 73 out of the 100 counties in North Carolina. Cherokee County is also represented in the lower range of counties (25-50%) in both the health outcomes and health factors measures.

NC Opioid Dashboard DATA HERE

Cherokee County's rate of overdose deaths in 2021 was at a record high for the county at 21 overdose deaths which equates to 73.4 overdose deaths per 100,000 residents. This rate is significantly higher than the NC rate in the same year, 31.5 overdose deaths per 100,000 residents. However, there were only 10 overdose deaths in CherokeeCounty in 2022 lowering the rate from the previous year where in Cherokee County there were 21 overdose deaths. 

Fifteen Leading Causes of Death

(Age-Adjusted Death Rates per 100,000 Population, Single 5-Yr Aggrigate, 2016-2020)

While there are some minor fluctuations between rankings of the leading causes of death in Cherokee County there are no sinificant differences when compared to the previous chart covering 2015-2019.

*One notable difference to note on the current table is the first appearance of COVID-19 as a leading cause of death. *

Emerging Issues Since Last CHA

These are the new or emerging issues in our community in 2022 that were not identified as priorities in our CHA.

• Affordable housing
• Long-term rental availability
• Economic inflation
• Affordable Childcare
• Increase in Meth
• Homelessness
• Transportation
• Senior Services
• Recruitment of a new provider at the Health Department for Fall 2023
• Covid/Flu/RSV trifecta

New/Paused/Discontinued Initiatives Since Last CHA

• Discontinuation of BCCCP program Fall 2023.
• Loss of Medication Assistance Program due to funding Fall 2023
• Retirement of Medical Director/Provider from CCHD Fall 2023
• Expansion of Harris Cherokee Valley River Casino 2023/2024

Progress on CHIPs

For progress on CHIPs, please see the "updates" note tab for each program/ strategy: 

 Cancer:

• Promotion and Referral to Quitlne NC 

Chronic Disease: 

• Chronic Disease Management 
• View From Here - Cherokee County

Access: 

• Increase provision of safety-net family planning services

Morbidity and Mortality Changes Since Last CHA

Emerging Issues Since Last CHA

New/Paused/Discontinued Initiatives Since Last CHA