Hancock — The Western Upper Peninsula District Health Department on Depot Road announced the release of the Upper Peninsula Community Health Needs Assessment 2021 last week.
A 458-page book, publicly available online, contains the results of the health survey. Data on demographics, access to care, lifelong health, behavioral health and substance abuse. Ranking of local health issues. and 15 county-level data summaries.
The newly issued CHNA is the culmination of an 18-month project led by the local health sector in partnership with hospitals, behavioral health organizations and health foundations. It includes data on lifelong health, access to care, community issues such as substance abuse, and the results of an extensive health survey conducted last August. Stakeholders use data to inform residents, identify priorities for improving community health, and measure change over time.
Key findings of the assessment, outlined in the Executive Summary, include:
• A first look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The impact of population aging on current and future health care needs.
• The importance of prevention in reducing the incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases – reduce tobacco use, maintain a healthy weight and do not drink too much.
• Disparities in health access, behavior and outcomes among populations of different incomes and levels of education.
• Improved health insurance coverage over the last few years. This is due to the continuing shortage of health professionals to provide primary care, dental care and behavioral health services.When
• Resident concerns about issues such as rising health care costs, economic conditions, drug use, and lack of mental health programs and services, among other health issues in many communities.
Community health needs assessments and health improvement plans are core functions of public health, said Kate Bier, Health Officer for Western UP Health, in a release.
“The findings in this report will help health care providers and communities address the health needs of people across the region.” Biel said.
Beer said the unique partnership of the 42 organizations serving the UP will continue to allow this range of comprehensive regional assessments to be conducted.
The report also highlights emerging health issues, such as the continued opioid epidemic, increased marijuana use, and the growing risk of tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease and anaplasmosis.
“This is a very robust assessment with county-level data on topics ranging from pregnancy and childbirth to leading causes of death.” Biel said. “Survey data from over 3,500 UP residents provides a wealth of information about general health conditions and prevalence of chronic diseases. Health behaviors such as diet, exercise, alcohol, tobacco and drug use. Fees for access to preventive care such as health checkups, dental visits, immunizations, cancer screenings, etc., and ranking of the relative importance of 16 broad health issues based on respondents’ perceptions of their community. Did.”
The report also addresses social determinants of health (SDOH) and looks at different counties to address them.
Historically, when addressing community health, the focus has been on specific diseases, preventative measures, specific programs, and individual health behaviors, says the assessment. As well as, increasing attention is being paid to the environmental conditions in which people live, work and go to school, which contribute to our quality of life and health outcomes.these are “Social Determinants of Health” It often explains why some face more difficult challenges in achieving and maintaining good health.
With the exception of Marquette County, each county’s median income is below the state’s median income. All counties, except Algiers and Houghton counties, have higher percentages of households with children under the age of 18 than the statewide percentage.
According to the report, low-income adults and those with lower levels of education in the region suffer from poor physical and mental health, high rates of illness and disability, and lack of annual physical examinations and timely cancer screenings. are reported to be low. Inequalities in socioeconomic status contribute to disparities in access to services, and socioeconomic factors (income and education) are strongly correlated with health status.
The previous Upper Peninsula Communities Prioritized Health Issues Study (UPCHIPS), conducted in 2017, found that residents of the Upper Peninsula intuitively understood the various issues affecting their health and the health of their communities. You have shown that you understand. The top four priorities identified from the 16 listed concerns are:
• Health insurance is expensive or has high copayments and deductibles.
• substance abuse;
• Lack of health insurance.
• Unemployment, wages and economic conditions.
Three years later, in 2021, UPCHIPS listed the same 16 priorities for consideration, with the top four listed.
The problems (in order of frequency) are:
• Health insurance is expensive or has high copayments and deductibles.
• Unemployment, wages and economic conditions.
• drug use;
• Lack of mental health programs and services or lack of affordable mental health care.
On August 13, 2021, the Marquette County Health Department issued a release indicating that health surveys will be mailed to randomly selected households in the Upper Peninsula that week as part of community health needs assessments. .
“This Community Health Needs Assessment is a collaborative effort involving 32 regional and community health partners, including local health departments, hospitals, clinics, behavioral health organizations and health foundations.” Release said.
“The purpose of this study is to improve services by assessing the current health needs of residents of the Upper Peninsula. Data from this community health needs assessment will be made available at the county and regional levels, It targets healthcare and public health services and is used to program initiatives to address areas of greatest need within the community.”
The 458-page report is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vMEVxWcSlI5-xMxGvaaS6vMmcrCaLrS-/view.
