North Central Health District

North Central Health District (NCHD) has published its 2022 Community Health Assessment (CHA), providing insights and information regarding the state of public health within each of the district’s 13 central Georgia counties.

The assessment provides a comprehensive picture of the public health landscape of each county and is intended to help shape the collaborative efforts to improve the health of residents. The 2022 CHA is available for everyone to review at NCHD52.org/health-assessment-and-improvement.

While COVID-19 has been the primary focus of public health these past years, the CHA highlights persistent health concerns across the 13-county district. The report covers all aspects of health in each county from rates of illnesses to social factors like housing and income. Using the collected data, NCHD is able to identify public health priorities and implement these findings into the strategic plans and goals of the district.

“The CHA represents a deep-dive into the health and wellness of the residents NCHD serves,” said Dr. Amber Erickson, NCHD Director of Epidemiology, Community Assessment and Research Initiatives. “The data collected and compiled in this report gives us a clear picture of the overall status of our area and provides a foundation that will inform our work, our collaborative efforts and our focus for the future.”

NCHD will host four opportunities for community members to hear an overview of the CHA from public health staff. These sessions are open to any member of the public, and NCHD encourages our partners, county board of health members and any group that has an interest in the material to attend. Each event will be conducted via Microsoft Teams online and by phone (1-470-344-9228, conference ID: 278 928 847#) and is scheduled for one hour. Sessions are scheduled for:

• Tuesday, July 12 at 2 p.m.
• Thursday, July 14 at 6 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 19 at 6 p.m.
• Thursday, July 21 at 2 p.m.– This session will be recorded.

While the CHA provides a picture of the health status for each county in NCHD’s jurisdiction, the district is looking for feedback from county residents, healthcare agencies, community groups and any other stakeholder. The district is seeking input via two surveys (both can be accessed on NCHD’s Health Assessment webpage listed above):

• Health Priority Ranking Survey– After reviewing the 2022 CHA, use this survey to provide NCHD with information on what you think are the top health concerns in your community. Each response will help NCHD determine top priorities in each of the 13 counties and will assist in the district’s strategic plan and community health improvement plan goals and objectives. All responses are anonymous.
• 2022 CHA Evaluation– Use this from to provide any comments on the 2022 CHA.

“We strongly encourage our existing and potential partners to review the CHA and attend one of the virtual sessions we’re hosting,” said Dr. Erickson. “This information will help not only NCHD and healthcare agencies, but everyone in our district. It’s a step towards improving health outcomes that impact everyone in our counties.”