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Norwalk Health Department says outreach reached nearly 4,800 people last year; staff track 186 events
Summary
Theresa Argandezi reported that Norwalk Health Department staff tracked 186 outreach activities last fiscal year totaling about 430 event hours and an estimated 4,726 attendees. The department detailed where outreach occurred and discussed coordinating messaging around federal benefit changes and reporting cadence to the board.
Theresa Argandezi, a Norwalk Health Department staff member presenting outreach results on Oct. 28, said the department's outreach work "provides accurate and reliable health information to community members" and is intended to build trust by meeting residents at places they already frequent.
Argandezi said the department recorded 186 outreach activities in the prior fiscal year, totaling about 430 event hours (excluding setup and breakdown) and an estimated 4,726 attendees. Tracked activities included 87 health fairs or information tables, 22 health screening sessions, 31 health information/training sessions, 44 health promotion program sessions, and two community engagement sessions focused on obtaining feedback rather than only distributing information.
She listed common outreach locations: parks and public spaces (Voter Farm, Calf Pasture Beach, Veterans Park, Towne Green, Norwalk River Valley Trail), both Norwalk Public Library branches, CT State College in Norwalk, multiple Norwalk Public Schools (including McMahon, Norwalk High, Brookside, Fox Run, Jefferson, Naramake and South Norwalk Elementary), food sites (Person to Person, Open Door), farmers markets, Ben Franklin School mobile food distributions, health care providers and centers (Circle Care Center, Norwalk Community Health Centers, Norwalk Hospital), senior-serving organizations (Kingsway Senior Housing, Ludlow Commons, Norwalk Senior Center), faith-based organizations and city facilities.
Board members asked whether the department would provide community updates about federal policy changes affecting residents. Ken Laleem asked whether the department and partners had information on changing federal supports; Argandezi said the department coordinates with community partners and city offices to distribute messaging. She noted the department mobilized outreach and information on school meals when Norwalk Public Schools anticipated a potential end to universal school meals and that the state later announced $3 million in emergency funding to Connecticut Foodshare to help food pantries.
Board members discussed how often to receive outreach reports. Suggestions included quarterly updates that focus on select indicators, to balance reporting frequency with staff workload. Argandezi said the department is tracking outreach data quarterly and can consider reporting cadence and whether to highlight a subset of metrics each quarter.
Argandezi said the department differentiates "outreach" (pushing information and connecting residents to services) from "community engagement" (events designed primarily to solicit community feedback such as focus groups or intercept interviews).
