The results of the 2011 New Hanover County Community Health Assessment are in, but the work has only just begun.

Community partners, including New Hanover County Regional Medical Center, will begin developing a plan to address findings in the assessment, released in February by the New Hanover County Health Department.

The report found that New Hanover County and North Carolina share the same top five leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease leading to stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, and unintentional injuries. The county’s leading causes of death have remained the same for the past seven years.

Other findings include:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in New Hanover County, with 1,982 deaths from 2005-2009;
• New Hanover County’s death rate is 200.5 per 100,000 persons, compared to the state rate of 191.7; 
• Since 2007, New Hanover County has higher percentages of heavy and binge drinkers than the state average.

The assessment includes findings from 2,250 surveys filled out by county residents, and results from seven focus groups with people of different ages, ethnicities and social backgrounds.

Chronic diseases, obesity, and drug and alcohol abuse were identified by residents as the county’s biggest health concerns. Health department officials said that county residents “collectively expressed the desire for continued community collaboration efforts, attention to youth prevention initiatives, pedestrian safety improvements and community well-being.”

The assessment was done in partnership with New Hanover Regional Medical Center, said Joshua Swift, deputy county health director.

“We’re in the process of our community partners meeting and discussing our next stages,” Swift said.

The last community health assessment was completed in 2007. The state Department of Health and Human Services requires that all local health departments complete a community health assessment every four years.

New Hanover County works on a three-year timeline between studies to improve the health of its residents, Amy M. Cook, health promotion supervisor for the county Health Department, said in an email response to questions.

“The community health assessment involves a collaborative process among community partners to evaluate the health status of the county, by collecting information firsthand from residents and health data from local, state and federal sources,” Cook said. “This provides the opportunity to identify the leading health priorities and develop a plan to effectively address these health issues in New Hanover County.”

“Ultimately, the goal will be to improve the health outcomes,” Cook said, such as the reduction of the number of people who are obese and are affected by heart disease.

Cook said that short-term goals set by the county health department, such as improving residents’ health behaviors and reducing risk factors, “will focus on the achievable measures we can work on to get to those long-term goals,” Cook said.
 
 Carolyn Fisher, spokeswoman for New Hanover Regional Medical Center, said the assessment is useful in several ways.

“The findings are valuable in that they confirm we are on track with our programs to prevent and uncover cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in New Hanover County,” she said in an email response to questions.  “They support our work to offer free cardiac risk assessments, cholesterol screenings and education to our community.”

Fisher added that the assessment also helps health officials identify at-risk populations, such as the poor and uninsured. She said that the medical center works through organizations such as Cape Fear HealthNet to offer primary care and specialty services that help patients manage their chronic conditions.

The assessment “also revealed the extent to which behavioral and social issues are affecting health here,” Fisher said, citing drug and alcohol abuse, as well as obesity and sexual among children.
 
Another area of concern is higher-than-average HIV rates among some segments of the county’s population.

Goals to improve community health will be aligned with the Healthy NC 2020 program objectives, Cook said. North Carolina currently ranks 32nd among U.S. states in terms of overall health, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the program.

For the full version of the assessment and a list of partners, or to view the 2010 State of the County Health Report, visit the New Hanover County Health Department’s website page at http://www.nhcgov.com/Health/healthreports/Pages/default.aspx