From the Harford County Health Department:
Following up on a story first printed several weeks ago, if you are a Harford County resident, you might be receiving a call that will help improve the health of the community.
Beginning on November 15, 2010, calls began being placed to randomly selected residents requesting their participation in a health assessment survey designed to determine the key health issues in our community. Healthy Harford, the originator of the survey currently is in the process of conducting the organization’s fourth Community Health Assessment Project (CHAP), the results of which are used to formulate strategy and develop programs in Harford County, as well as to set future health goals for our community.
“The feedback we receive from County residents provides baseline health-related data that support planning for future health initiatives and also offers information to the Hospital, the Health Department and other health-oriented community agencies in Harford County to evaluate currently offered programs,” states Harford County Health Officer Susan Kelly.
The survey takes participants about 10 minutes to complete and asks questions about access to health care; exercise and physical activity habits; prevalence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and other diseases; and awareness of hypertension and cholesterol. Other topics include alcohol and tobacco usage, and cancer screenings. In 1996, CHAP was initiated to establish a baseline in order that progress could be measured over time and to ensure that programs that were being planned and implemented would have an impact in the community.
Kathy Kraft, Director of Community Health Improvement for Upper Chesapeake Health wishes to remind residents that Holleran, a research firm located in Pennsylvania, has been hired to conduct this most important phone survey for Harford County. “If you have caller ID, the number for Holleran may show up as a 717 area code. Residents are urgently requested not to hang up, and to please take the call and respond. We have had good success with the survey to this point, but it is our hope to obtain as much relevant data as possible.”
Healthy Harford is the non profit 501c3 Healthy Communities Initiative of Harford County, comprised of a coalition of Harford County government agencies, business and non profits dedicated to Hypertension prevention and improving the health of Harford County residents. Founded in 1993 by community leaders from the Harford County Health Department, Harford County Government, and Upper Chesapeake Health, its sole vision is to make Harford County the healthiest community in Maryland. In recent years, the Healthy Harford Board of Directors voted to take a more comprehensive community approach, and has assembled a Community Action Team to focus on the prevention of chronic disease and obesity in Harford County.
So, when the phone rings and you are asked to participate in the community health assessment, take a few minutes to answer these questions that will benefit the health of your family, friends and neighbors.
For more information or if you have questions about the survey process, contact Kathy Kraft at Upper Chesapeake Health at 443-643-4252, visit the Healthy Harford website at www.healthyharford.org or visit the Harford County Health Department website at www.harfordcountyhealth.com.
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