The Summit County Health Department is asking citizens to respond to a Public Health Survey—a project to help set the county’s priorities and decide where funds should be allocated.
The county’s Environmental Health Director, Phil Bondurant, said they previously took a survey on Community Health in 2012, and one on Mental Health in 2016.
The project is looking at Public Health issues.
“We look at some general demographics and general health indicators for public health,” Bondurant explained. “Some of those things that have been identified by the CDC and the World Health Organization as key indicators of health in the community. It also is an opportunity for the community to talk about some of those less traditional things that are identified from those standard reports, those standard data sets.”
The survey has some 20 questions and it will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Some questions are just gathering information on demographics—whether the respondent lives in the County or works here. There are some multiple-choice items and the rest are open ended questions.
“This is open ended questions,” Bondurant continued. “It asks for example, what do you feel public health has done right in the last few years. We could have said ABC and D but we want to hear what people--what's on the forefront of their mind. When they think public health what's the first thing they think? What have we done right? The other end is where can we improve? There's always an opportunity to improve, to do things better. While the data may support that we're doing and excellent job in one category or another; the public perception is a powerful thing.”
The survey has had about 300 respondents so far. They are evenly split between the two sides of the County, though Bondurant said they would like to see more responses from within the Eastside municipalities.
The survey is also available in Spanish and Bondurant said they hope to get responses from youngsters 12 and older, since they will be impacted by the county’s decisions.
He said there are also offering a gift-card giveaway, to encourage responses.
“We surpassed the first benchmark, 300 is the next,” Bondurant said. “We will be giving away four $30.00 gift cards once we hit that 300 benchmark. We do that live on Facebook and then contact each of the winners by email and phone so that they can claim those gift cards. Once we hit the 500 mark, we will jump up to three $50.00 gift cards and as we get closer to that 750 response goal the stakes increase, and the gift card to get a lot higher.”
Bondurant said they're hoping to get about 750 responses, which will be enough to give them some significant feedback.
Citizens have until May 31st to reply. The survey can be found at the county health department's homepage, or on their Facebook.
Bondurant said they will take a rough draft of the results to the Board of Health on July 1st. They will refine it further, in preparation for the board's retreat in September.
“Where they begin planning and talking about the initiatives regarding social equity social determinants of health, the community health assessment,” Bondurant explained. “Really use the entire information that we have, all the data sets the community health assessment, everything that we have. To really plan for 2020 and beyond.”
