Lord Fairfax Health District presents Winchester community health assessment; mental health, housing top local priorities

Catherine Schroeder, population health manager for the Lord Fairfax Health District of the Virginia Department of Health, presented the district's community health assessment (CHA) and described next steps for a community health improvement plan (CHIP), telling the Winchester City Health and Safety Committee that the CHA combines primary survey data and secondary public-health indicators to identify local priorities.

Schroeder said the assessment gathered 2,572 survey responses across the district, including 202 from Winchester City; Winchester respondents were 77% female and 72% white and skewed younger, with a predominant age range of 35 to 44.

The CHA found that Winchester respondents prioritized mental health, followed by access to health care and additional affordable housing; in contrast, the broader district more often prioritized physical health. Schroeder summarized: "Winchester chose increased access to mental health services, increased access to health care, and additional affordable housing." She said the assessment also draws on about 90 secondary measures, including local rates of chronic disease and social drivers of health.

Why it matters: the CHA is intended as the evidence base for a community-led CHIP that sets objectives, strategies and measures the community can track over time. Schroeder said the steering committee has narrowed a longer list to 11 areas and will ask a broader community group to reduce that to three to five priorities for coordinated action.

Key findings and supporting data cited in the presentation included a Winchester chronic hepatitis C rate reported at about 210 per 100,000 (Virginia ~51 per 100,000); adult obesity at 37% (Virginia 35%); deaths due to diabetes at 52 (Virginia 33); children in poverty at 29% (Virginia 12%); teen pregnancy at 28.4 per 1,000 females (Virginia 15); and a violent-crime rate of 300 (Virginia 245). Schroeder said some of these measures "raise an eyebrow" and will be tracked through the CHIP.

Committee members urged caution in interpreting the survey because Winchester respondents were not demographically representative of the city's population. One councilor noted the low response count from some groups and recommended a “disclaimer” and careful use of the results; Schroeder agreed and said the CHA supplements surveys with community interviews, community health worker outreach and secondary data to broaden the evidence base.

Schroeder described outreach methods: the survey was distributed through Valley Health MyChart accounts, community health workers working with at-risk populations, and community organizations. She said that community health workers found lower participation among some disadvantaged groups and that the project team is keeping a lessons-learned record to refine future outreach.

Next steps: Schroeder said the steering committee will present background materials and draft priorities to a larger community group and aims to select three to five priorities; she announced a public meeting to discuss priorities on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 9:30 a.m. at the Frederick-Winchester Health Department and offered to send the full ~80-page report and indicator citations to councilors when the final report is ready.

Ending: Committee members thanked Schroeder and asked that the full CHA and future narrowing of priorities be circulated to the council when available. No formal committee action was taken during the presentation.