Tallahassee– On February 13th, 20 volunteers will canvas neighborhoods in Leon County to survey residents on topics related to health.  The trained volunteers are taking the surveys as part of a Community Health Assessment (CHA) developed by 25 partner organizations including the Florida Department of Health in Leon County, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, United Way of the Big Bend and Whole Child Leon.  The CHA team wants to learn from the residents their health concerns and gather information that will be helpful to the CHA team’s efforts to both address those concerns and work to reduce health disparities. 

“Our citizens know about their health and neighborhood needs,” said Claudia Blackburn, MPH, RN, and Health Officer of the Florida Department of Health in Leon County.  “Through the CHA, we are asking them to tell us their concerns and help us find ways to address them.”

“The CHA is an important first step in helping the CHA team identify the gains and remaining gaps of prior efforts to address the health concerns of our community,” said Katrina Rolle, President/CEO of United Way of the Big Bend.

The CHA team will use the information gathered from the surveys and incorporate it into a process that will enable local public health officials and community groups to monitor trends in health status and identify priorities among health issues. The team will then work to determine the availability of resources within Leon County to adequately address those priorities.  A CHA report will be shared with Leon County residents.  The final step is the development of a Community Health Improvement Plan for Leon County. The mission of the CHA team is to promote healthy lifestyles and improve the health status of all residents in Leon County.

“Bringing together so many organizations to conduct research, then determine priorities, will create a shared focus on our priorities,” said Warren Jones, Vice President/Chief Communications Officer, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.  “We’re committed to hearing and responding to our community members’ concerns.”

Surveys will be conducted in Greater Frenchtown, on February 13; Macon Community, on February 20; Fairbanks Ferry Road area, on February 27; Southside area, on March 5; and Highway 20 (Aenon Church Road) area, on March 12.  The surveys include questions about personal health, family health, access to care, environmental health and demographics.

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