Litchfield County
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31.12.2012
2012 Litchfield County Community Health Needs Assessment
By Litchfield County Community Transformation Grant Coalition
The 2012 Litchfield County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) represents the collaborative efforts of the Litchfield County Community Transformation Grant (CTG) Coalition to begin to assess and prioritize health needs in our community and to collectively develop strategies and mobilize resources to improve the health of county residents.
The leading health issues in Litchfield County, as in the state and the nation, result from many underlying factors which can be controlled or modified. Harmful lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, overeating, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, and substance abuse have major impacts on individual health. Economic and language/cultural factors present barriers to access and utilization of medical care and preventive health services. Income, employment status, educational attainment, housing, and other social factors impact health or limit access to care. Uncontrollable factors, including inherited health conditions or increased susceptibility to disease, also significantly influence health.
Poverty underlies many of the social factors that contribute to poor health. Differences for many health indicators are also apparent by gender, race/ethnicity, age, and geographic area of residence. This information will be used to guide the development of programs and services to meet identified health needs.
Document
23.10.2018
A Closer Look: The Berkshire Taconic Region Today – 2017 Report
By Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
2017 Community Assessment report from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. From http://www.berkshiretaconic.org: “A Closer Look is a broad overview of the four-county area that Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation has served since its founding in 1987. The data and information presented here were gathered from research and conversations with residents in Berkshire County, Mass., northwest Litchfield County, Conn., and Columbia and northeast Dutchess counties in New York. The picture that results highlights key strengths and challenges for the future of this extraordinary region.”
Document
25.08.2017
The Opioid Epidemic in Northwest Connecticut – 2017 Report
By Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, the Foundation for Community Health, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, and the McCall Center for Behavioral Health
This is a comprehensive report about the impact of opiates on Northwest Connecticut (Litchfield County) and the state as a whole. It includes Connecticut data from a variety of sources including CTDPH, DMHAS, and area hospitals.
According to the report, in 2012, there were 357 accidental overdose/ intoxication deaths in Connecticut. By 2015, that number more than doubled to 723 deaths. In 2016, there were 917 deaths.
Document
31.07.2013
2013 Middlesex County Community Health Needs Assessment
By Middlesex County Coalition on Community Wellness
For eighteen months, a broad coalition representing Middlesex County worked to produce this county health needs assessment with a focus on chronic disease. The initiative is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Community Transformation Grant project here in Connecticut. Through oversight from the Connecticut Department of Public Health and Chatham Health District as project lead and grant fiduciary, the assessment reviewed demographics, health indicators,
health disparities, and health assets, and performed a policy and environmental scan. The work products of this effort are the County Community Health Needs Assessment Report, which includes a selection of strategic priorities and a Community Health Action Plan, which aligns Middlesex strategic priorities with four other rural counties in Connecticut engaged in the same process.
At the core of the assessment is use of the CDC CHANGE Tool. CHANGE identifies five Sectors: Community at Large, Community Institution/Organization, Health Care, Schools, and Work Site, with a process to consider both policy and environmental assets and needs. Specific attention is placed on policies that address key focus areas: tobacco free living, active living and healthy eating, social and emotional wellness, healthy and safe physical environment, and high quality clinical and other
preventive services.
In review of the data, coalition membership selected strategies, taking into account public and political will, cost-effectiveness, feasibility of implementation, likelihood of success, scalability, and long-term impact. These are sustainable approaches that can be readily adopted across sectors by municipalities and many other agencies and organizations.
The Middlesex County Coalition on Community Wellness proposes the following prioritized strategies:
1. Identify quality clinical preventive service protocol for management of patients who are identified with hypertension
2. Prevent and reduce tobacco use through tobacco free policies in public places
3. Improve the availability of affordable healthy foods
4. Focus on opportunities for regular physical activity in schools