The Mat-Su Health Foundation has published the findings of its 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The report, “Health is Where We Live, Learn, Work and Play,” identified the top factors that affect the health of local residents: transportation; social connection and support; income; education and information; and housing.
Examples of how where we live, learn, work, and play impacts our health include whether we have access to medical care (transportation) and can afford to pay for it (income), whether we feel safe (housing), whether we have access to education, including early childhood education (education), whether we have knowledge of resources available to us (information), and whether we experience a strong sense of community (social connection and support).
The next step is for the foundation to work with its partner, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, to draft an implementation plan based on the four goals identified by the assessment:
- Transportation: All Mat-Su residents have transportation to work, health care appointments, school and community activities, and other opportunities that affect the quality of their lives.
- Social connection and support: Mat-Su is a community where all residents feel supported by and connected to family, friends, neighbors, and the broader community.
- Income and housing: Mat-Su has economic opportunities that allow residents to have a level of income that supports a healthy lifestyle and provides for safe and affordable housing.
- Education and information: Mat-Su is a community that supports education for residents and provides full access to information needed to promote health, wellness, and quality of life.
Contributors include Alaska Mental Health Trust, CCS Early Learning, Chickaloon Village, Identity Alaska, Knik Tribal Council, Mat-Su Health Services, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, Sunshine Community Health Center.
The full 2016 Mat-Su Community Health Needs Assessment is at www.healthymatsu.org.
Contact: Robin Minard
Email: rminard@healthymatsu.org