Fairfield health officials prioritize behavioral health and primary care after regional needs assessment

Fairfield Director of Health Sam presented results from the Health Improvement Alliance (HIA) regional community health needs assessment and described how participants narrowed dozens of issues to a short list of priorities.

The exercise, Sam said, combined secondary data, a community well‑being survey, asset mapping and small‑group prioritization using a method the presenter described as approved by the National Association of County and City Health Officials. Sam said participants at a January 28 prioritization session included about 40 people split into five groups and that roughly 20 attendees had completed a pre‑session ranking survey.

Sam said behavioral health services, primary care access and maternal and pediatric care emerged as recurring priorities. "Mental health services being the top of the community voices," Sam summarized, and noted that the HIA and the assessment team consolidated related items under broader categories such as "healthy lifestyles," "behavioral health," "primary care" and "maternal care."

The assessment identified barriers residents reported for obtaining care: cost, difficulty scheduling appointments and not knowing where to go. Sam highlighted that Fairfield’s insurance coverage rate is high — about 98 percent insured — and said cost was not a primary barrier locally in the survey results for Fairfield, even though access issues remain.

Regional data Sam cited included: about 28 percent of respondents in the HIA region reported knowing someone affected by heroin or opioid addiction; nearly 20 percent of respondents in both the HIA region and Connecticut reported not being able to afford food in the prior 12 months; and roughly 14 percent in the HIA region reported struggling to afford adequate shelter.

Sam said the prioritization process aimed to weigh magnitude, severity and feasibility. He described a subsequent plan to form or use existing task forces for implementation: the Healthy Children Task Force, a behavioral health task force and a primary care/access task force. For issues the HIA does not have capacity to address directly — for example, affordable child care — Sam said volunteers would form an advocacy committee to pursue policy or legislative approaches.

Board member Sally commented from public‑health practice experience, urging flexibility in age thresholds used for lead or developmental screening discussions and noting she had recently seen several pediatric lead‑poisoning cases. Sam and Sally discussed ensuring the HIA’s final recommendations feed into Fairfield’s forthcoming strategic plan.

The presentation closes the initial prioritization phase and will inform the community health improvement plan and the town’s strategic planning process.

Ending: The Board of Health will receive the consultant’s finalized prioritization report and draft objectives as staff and the HIA convert the priorities into an actionable community health improvement plan.