TOWNSHEND — After an extensive, collaborative effort with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, the Brattleboro Retreat, and the Brattleboro office of the Vermont Department of Health, Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital has released the county-wide 2018 Community Health Needs Assessment.
According to the Assessment:
• 13 percent of Windham County adolescents have made a suicide plan in the past year.
• 15 percent of Windham County teens have used tobacco in the past 30 days.
• 25 percent of Windham County adults are obese.
• The No. 1 health concern of Windham County residents is “Healthy Aging” (for themselves) and “Drug Misuse or Substance Abuse” (for their neighbors). Their No. 1 barrier to good health is that they're “too busy to exercise.”
These findings and more can be viewed at www.gracecottage.org.
The information was derived from a number of sources, including a county-wide survey of adult residents, surveys of social service agencies serving Windham County, and recent demographic, economic, and population health data.
Grace Cottage's report also includes input from its healthcare providers.
Based on an analysis of information collected, Grace Cottage's medical executive and leadership team says it has identified the following significant health needs within its service area: Diabetes/obesity/weight management, mental health (stress, anxiety, depression), substance abuse, healthy aging, dental health, smoking/tobacco use, and heart disease (hypertension, high cholesterol).
The Grace Cottage Community Health Needs Report contains survey results from 1,257 respondents. It also provides the most current, comprehensive regional population health data on issues such as access to insurance, substance use, depression rates, cancer rates, and much more.
In many cases, results are separated by categories such as age, income, gender, and/or town of residence.