I’m really proud of the work the South Milwaukee Health Department does to drive community healthy in our fair city. Consider this another example of how they’re bringing that promise to life.
The short story: The Health Department is joining others in the area in doing a community health assessment that will drive a community health improvement plan.
The goal: To make us all healthier.
To help, I ask that, if asked, you spend a few minutes completing the anonymous, random phone survey, providing input into your health-related behaviors. It’s valuable information that will feed the overall effort.
From the press release …
Hundreds of South Milwaukee residents may soon be contacted to participate in an important phone survey assessing the health of the community. Conducted every three years, the community health survey gathers information on health related behaviors from 400 anonymous, randomly selected residents. Their responses, along with local and state public health data contribute to the South Milwaukee Health Department’s Community Health Assessment and helps guide its Community Health Improvement Plan.
“The survey provides valuable data for continued evaluation of community needs, and will help inform the health department, as well as other organizations in meeting the most pressing health needs of our community,” says Jacqueline Ove, Public Health Administrator “I encourage all South Milwaukee residents to support this meaningful research effort,” Ove adds. “The survey takes about 18 minutes and is completely anonymous. It’s important that we reach a good cross-section of the community, so whether they receive a call via cell phone or land line, I ask that residents take time to answer the survey questions.”
The survey is being conducted over the next few months by Management Decisions, an independent research firm. It focuses on issues such as access to health care, tobacco and alcohol use, diet, physical activity, cancer prevention, heart health, injury prevention, immunizations, communicable diseases, mental health and chronic disease. Similar surveys are being conducted at the same time across all 12 health departments in Milwaukee County, with support from Aurora Health Care, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Columbia St. Mary’s, Froedtert Health, and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. The findings will be compared with the 2012 community health survey to analyze health trends over the last three years, and will help:
- Document the community’s health status related to the health priorities established by the state health plan.
- Identify local health behaviors or risk factors that present opportunities for health promotion and health care cost reduction.
- Track the success of community health improvement activities.
To learn more, also check out our annual health report, which provides a terrific report on progress we’ve made in community health over the years, and our five-year community health improvement plan. Really good stuff.
South Milwaukee Blog 