Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1096807
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2019 UCW 11 e health of Cumberland County residents is improving, but a new sta- tistical report of Cumberland Coun- ty's overall health ranking leaves a lot of unanswered questions — mostly in the "why" category. e report indicates overall health outcomes improved slightly from 75 to 73 of North Carolina's 100 counties. e rankings were released by "County Health Rankings," a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Insti- tute program. Health rankings provide a com- parison of the overall health of nearly every county in the nation and how a community's overall ranking is influenced by the length and qual- ity of life, health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment. "Community health rankings are a useful tool from a public health per- spective," said Duane Holder, interim Cumberland County health director. "It shows that community partners need to work together because many of these factors cannot be addressed on the individual level. e rankings show us where we live matters." Cumberland County scored high in the area of clinical care, ranking 40th in the state. Data indicates, however, that the percentage of county resi- dents who are uninsured is less than the state. ey also show that the county's patient-to-provider ratios, to include dental and mental health care, are lower than the state average. Cumberland County saw a decrease in premature deaths and improve- ment in the "length of life" category. e rankings also indicated areas for improvement, including smoking and adult obesity. e Health Department has identified exercise, nutrition and weight and respiratory disease as two of the nine priority areas as part of the 2019 Community Health Needs As- sessment process. ese priorities also include: access to health services; economy; immu- nizations and infectious diseases; oc- cupational and environmental health; other chronic diseases; public safety; respiratory disease; and substance abuse. e Health Department will focus on these priorities over the next three years. Sexually transmitted disease rates in the county declined from the previous year but still show a need for improvement. In October, the Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic at the Health Department extended its hours on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Regular hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. e clinic also increased its community outreach efforts. e department is seeking the pub- lic's opinion in the ranking of impor- tance of the priorities. "A good health status … influences the county in all aspects of daily living," said Holder. Residents are asked to take a few minutes to complete a survey online. To access the survey in English, go to surveymonkey.com/r/CCDPHCHNA. For a Spanish version, go to surveymonkey.com/r/CCDPHCHNAS. e full rankings are available at www.countyhealthrankings.org. More information about the Cumberland County Department of Public Health's programs and ser- vices, health-related data or commu- nity resources are available by phone at 910-433-3600. Or, visit the infor- mation desk at the health depart- ment office building, 1235 Ramsey St. e website is co.cumberland. nc.us/health.aspx. Comments are welcome and can be submitted on the website at co.cumberland.nc.us/ feedback. County health improving by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS Cumberland County scored high in the area of clinical care, ranking 40th in the state. Talk Radio Host (Award-winning) Movie Producer / Screen writer (An Inconsistent Truth - the rebuttal to An Inconvenient Truth) Best-Selling Author For VIP/public ticket info: email linda@upandcomingweekly.com For background info: www.philvalentine.com Will be in Fayetteville for a Meet & Greet Saturday March 30 th hosted by the Fayetteville Republican Women phil valentine DoubleTree by Hilton 1965 Cedar Creek Road Exit 49 off I-95 5pm-6pm VIP hour 6pm-8pm General public invited $10 donation