Florida Department of Health – Nassau
Contact: Ronnie Nessler
(904) 530-6800
[email protected]
March 28, 2017 12:16 p.m.
The Florida Department of Health in Nassau County recognizes the value in measuring health outcomes and today acknowledges the 2017 County Health Rankings & Road Maps tool released by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This study highlights the many community factors that influence health and uses established data, much of which is available from the department at www.FLHealthCHARTS.com.
Florida Department of Health in Nassau County works in collaboration with local governments, non-profit organizations, health care facilities, business groups, schools, faith-based organizations and many other stakeholders to improve the health of all people in Nassau County. According to Eugenia Ngo-Seidel, MD, MPH, County Health Officer: “As a county, we collectively work together to improve the health of all residents.” Dr. Ngo-Seidel noted the results of the 2017 County Health Rankings reveal areas in which we as a community excel, and provide us with information about what is working and stressed the importance of collaboration and collective action.
The annual County Health Rankings reporting tool uses traditional, common data, much of which was obtained from the Department and is available at www.FLHealthCHARTS.com. The Rankings show us there are many influences on health: economic, social, behavioral, environmental, and clinical care factors.
The Rankings are a snapshot of the health of counties across the country and they emphasize that health is not a singular effort but a combined work in progress across all community partners. Health is everyone’s business, including employers, educators and urban planners, so all stakeholders in a community must work together to improve health.
The Rankings measures include two main categories: Health Outcomes and Health Factors. Health Outcomes use length of life and quality of life as standard measurements to describe a community’s health. Health Factors are indicators that help determine our future health (i.e., factors that can ultimately make us sick or lead to an early death). These rankings use data related to physical environments, social and economic factors, health behaviors and clinical care. The Rankings can reveal obstacles to health for our residents, and identify opportunities for improvement that can make Nassau County a healthier place to live, learn, work and play.
The results of the 2017 County Health Rankings report show how Nassau County ranks among all Florida counties on factors that influence its overall health ranking. Overall, Nassau County ranked in the top third of Florida counties (18/67 counties) when both health measures are combined. The Rankings show that, Nassau County is strongest in one of the two main categories, Health Factors, where it ranked 8 out of 67.
Nassau County did show a worsening in some areas. For the second main category, Health Outcomes, the ranking decreased from scores of 10 (2016) to 18 (2017). Health Outcomes ranking was most affected by the subcategory Quality of Life measure, which decreased (from six in 2016, to eight in 2017), primarily due to worsening measure for scores for poor or fair health and poor mental health days.
The Partnership for Healthier Nassau facilitates the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) 2016-2018 for Nassau County. The CHIP is a three-year strategic health plan created by the community, for the community. It includes measureable action steps and engages community partners. The vision of the CHIP is: “To have Communities in Nassau County that support optimal health and quality of life through collaboration, strong leadership, policy and environmental change, and resident empowerment.” Community partners, stakeholders and community members worked closely in the year-long assessment process to identify opportunities for improvement with county health needs.
In Nassau County, the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is designed to address specific opportunities for improved health that have been identified by the community. The department has partnered with many stakeholders to implement the CHIP and collaborates regularly to track progress. The CHIP includes three strategic areas of concern: Access to Care, Behavioral Health/Substance Abuse and Transportation. The issues identified by the 2017 Rankings align with the locally identified issues in the CHIP.
The CHIP is addressing Access to Care, Behavioral Health/Substance Abuse and
Transportation issues through three strategic health work teams. Efforts to reach the medically underserved will include health ministry in churches. Access to care and the Transportation teams have goals which include expanding transportation and increasing community knowledge of available resources. According to Mike Hays, Transportation Director, Nassau TRANSIT, Nassau County Council on Aging, Inc.: “Nassau TRANSIT provides the only public transportation service in Nassau County, including express commuter bus routes in the morning and afternoon rush hours and throughout the day. The service is designed for efficient access to employment within the county and into downtown Jacksonville.”
Mental health and substance abuse are being addressed with the collaboration of mental health provider partners and the Nassau Alcohol Crime Drug Abatement Coalition (NACDAC). According to Susan Woodford MS, CPP, Executive Director, Nassau Alcohol Crime Drug Abatement Coalition (NACDAC), “NACDAC strives to prevent and reduce alcohol use among our youth in our community. We seek to educate, communicate, and be a leader in community collaboration in an effort to create a safe and healthy environment for our citizens to thrive.“
Last week the Florida Department of Health celebrated a one-year milestone as the first integrated department of health in the nation to achieve national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board. Public health departments play a critical role in protecting and improving the health of people and communities. The seal of accreditation signifies that the Florida Department of Health has been rigorously examined and meets or exceeds national standards that promote continuous quality improvement for public health.
About the Florida Department of Health
The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.
Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida
Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov. More information about the Florida Department of Health in Nassau County or the CHIP visit www.nassau.floridahealth.gov/ or by calling the Florida Department of Health in Nassau County at (904)530-6800.
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