A health threat can be a chronic disease such as asthma, obesity or diabetes or an infectious disease such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) or HIV. Measures that look at the health-related behaviors of a population are also good indicators of potential threats to the community’s health. Health-related behaviors might include physical activity levels, food choices, use of preventative exams (such as breast exams) and tobacco use.
Why Is It a Priority?
According to the Local Public Health Assessment conducted by SSCHC partners, Essential Service (ES) #1, Monitoring Health Status, received an overall score of 25 out of a maximum score of 100 . This was one of the lowest scores on the assessment.
The existence of a population-based Community Health Profile, one of three indicators used to assess the community’s ability to monitor health status, received a score of 19. Although it was not the lowest ranking indicator in this priority area, it was felt that creating a Community Health Profile (CHP) was the first step in identifying high priority issues impacting the health and well-being of residents in our community.