Cumberland County health department names maternal, chronic and behavioral health top priorities after community assessment

Dr. Green, Cumberland County health director, presented the results of the county’s 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment and told the Board of Commissioners that stakeholders selected maternal-infant health, physical health (chronic disease) and behavioral health (mental health and substance use) as the top priorities.

The assessment combined primary data (about 1,200 surveys and four focus groups, including a Spanish-language session and groups for veterans and Cape Fear Valley employees) with secondary data from sources such as the CDC and the state health department. "Mental health was a priority," Dr. Green said during her presentation, and she listed substance use and chronic disease as the next-highest concerns. She told the board the survey respondents skewed older and were mostly women, and that the county’s relatively young median age (about 31) and a high veteran population — roughly 20% — are important context for interpreting results.

The health department said it uses the assessment for its public health accreditation and to satisfy hospital IRS requirements, and that the results will feed a community health improvement plan and the department’s strategic plan. "This assessment is the first part in an ongoing cycle," Dr. Green said, describing a process in which priorities identified in the assessment inform quality-improvement projects and strategic planning.

Stakeholders that participated in a September prioritization meeting — the department said Commissioner Jones and Commissioner Adams attended the stakeholder meeting — used dot-voting to select the three priority areas. Dr. Green said the health department will finalize a public report in the next few weeks and post it to the county website, and will work with community partners to produce action plans addressing the priorities. She added the department already has programs that relate to these priorities, including a perinatal task force and a Cumberland maternal/infant response team.

In questions after the presentation, commissioners pressed the department on representativeness and outreach. Dr. Green said the health department and its partners used targeted distribution and focus groups to capture underrepresented populations, acknowledged the limitations of a 1,200-response survey in a county of roughly 337,000 residents, and said the assessment’s multiple data sources were combined to set priorities. She also said the department collaborates with local universities and military partners to improve response from younger adults.

Dr. Green noted the assessment is being used by other local agencies, including hospitals, for grant-writing and strategic planning. She also asked the board to view the final report as an active document rather than one that "sits on a shelf."