Union County health assessment launched; Fairview asked to help recruit survey participants

Jackie Morgan, Health Promotion with Union County Environmental Health, told the Fairview Town Council on April 9 that the county will conduct its 2012 community health assessment this year and aims to collect at least 1,000 surveys by phone or written response. Morgan said the department will compile a "State of the County Health Report" for release in fall 2012 and distributed surveys to Mayor Elizabeth Long for local distribution.

Morgan said Union County “looks pretty good” in part because median income is higher on the county’s western side, but she emphasized the assessment is intended to identify health factors affecting residents across the county. Mayor Elizabeth Long said she would take the survey by phone and asked council members to hand out the paper surveys to Fairview residents to help meet the target.

Jeff Knight, who gave an update on a county water study, said the county continues to find high levels of arsenic in groundwater. Knight did not provide a timetable for remediation or additional sampling in the town; council members and county staff did not set a specific follow-up date during the meeting.

The assessment, if the county reaches its survey target, will produce a countywide report this fall that Morgan said will inform public-health priorities and outreach. Mayor Long will be a local contact for distributing surveys in Fairview and the council agreed to assist by encouraging residents to participate.