Darke County Community Health Assessment
Charting a Healthier Course to the Year 2001
Community Health Assessment data collected via telephone (3000 calls)
to get responses from 300 residents of Darke and Preble counties.
Darke County Community Health Steering Committee comprised of persons
from numerous agencies from the community was formed to create an on going
plan that addresses the health needs and promotes wellness for the citizens
of Darke County. Critical issues were identified and prioritized.
“Intervention Day” was held August 15th, in which 50 participants from
the community prioritized each of the critical issues and developed interventions
to address each issue.
Primary goals and objectives established by the Intervention Day were:
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Parenting – to provide parents with the resources and skills to enhance
parental competency, resourcefulness, and self sufficiency in order to
help their children become a positive influence in society.
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Lifestyle - to improve and promote the physical, mental, and spiritual
health of Darke County citizens.
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Dental - to increase the proportion of the population served
with fluoridated water and to reduce the proportion of children with untreated
dental decay.
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Substance abuse – to reduce substance abuse to protect the health,
safety, and quality of life for all, especially children.
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Local health financing – to assure access to affordable primary
care, home health care, assisted living, and hospice services for all residents
through service delivery and education.
The community plan is a grassroots strategy that will be implemented
by members of the Darke County Community. The role of the specific individuals
and organizations involved is described in the body of the report, along
with specific descriptions of specific initiatives involved in carrying
out each objective. The full report is available at the Darke County
Health Department.
The continuing role of the Steering Committee will be to oversee
the process of program implementation, including obtaining funding as necessary,
and to conduct evaluations of the programs to ensure that they are meeting
the goals and objectives stated in the plan.
Additional information comparing Darke County’s health to like
counties across the nation is provided by the Community Health Status Indicators
(CHSI) Report. This report may be downloaded from the Health Resources
& Services Administration web site.
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