July 18, 2019

Charlotte County Kicks Off Community Health Needs Assessment Process To Identify Health And Human Service Issues, Develop Improvement Plan

Contact:
Jennifer S. Sexton
jennifer.sexton@flhealth.gov
(941) 624-7200 ext. 7279

Port Charlotte, Fla. — The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County (Charlotte CHD) is hosting a kickoff meeting to begin the visioning process for the 2020 Charlotte County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). CHNAs are designed to assess the community health needs and develop strategies to address those needs. The kickoff meeting will be held at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 19 at the Department of Health, 1100 Loveland Blvd., Port Charlotte.

Charlotte CHD Interim Health Officer Joe Pepe says the information gathered in the assessment will be used to make data-driven decisions and direct efforts to improving the health and well-being of the residents of Charlotte County. “The Community Health Needs Assessment is an essential public health tool used to understand the health and human service needs in our community and how we can continue to make Charlotte County a healthy place to live, learn, work, and play.”

The 2020 Community Health Needs Assessment will be developed through a partnership with the Florida Department of Health along with Charlotte County Human Services, Charlotte Behavioral Health Care, and the United Way of Charlotte County. The assessment process will be coordinated by the Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida.  

In addition to these key partners, community organizations from across the county were invited to the July kickoff meeting to weigh in on crucial topics to be considered in the data collection process. Pepe said, “By gathering a diverse mix of public health professionals, community members, local health and mental health professionals, county government, and community organizations, we can take a collaborative approach to discussing the needs of our community and to develop strategies and interventions. We are looking at health, mental health and general well-being and the systems that impact them.”

The final report will highlight the findings of four assessments that will be completed over the next five months to gather information for improving the health of our community. These four assessments – Community Themes and Strengths Assessment, Local Public Health Assessment, Community Health Status Assessment, and Forces of Change Assessment – are part of the community health improvement process used to improve the local public health system and to guide the health planning process.

A primary goal of the Community Health Needs Assessment is to help increase understanding of our community’s current health and overall well-being both through specific health indicators and community input regarding issues and areas of concern. “The results,” said Pepe, “enable us to more strategically establish priorities, develop interventions, and commit resources to improve the health of Charlotte County residents.”

The final CHNA report is expected to be released early in 2020.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

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