Dr. Stephen Sills (Center for Housing and Community Studies) received new funding from The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research for the project “Health Equity Assessment and Report 2020-2021 for the Health Collaborative of the Dan River Region.”
This proposal was developed by the UNCG Center for Housing and Community Studies (CHCS) in response to a request from Annie Martinie, Senior Program Officer of the Danville Regional Foundation, for a health equity assessment and health equity report for the Dan River Region Health Collaborative. A health equity assessment is a process used by public health organizations to determine priorities, make improvements, or allocate resources on the basis of inequalities in health outcomes. It may be used to determine gaps between community health assets and needs of residents disproportionately impacted by health issues.
The health equity assessment process is collaborative, proactive, multi-sector, and data driven. It provides an opportunity for building stakeholder support, engaging residents and social service agencies, eliciting health system feedback, and promoting community support. It is also an opportunity to identify barriers that health impacted communities face in accessing primary health services or addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) such as economic stability, educational and employment opportunities, healthy housing, nutritious foods, active lifestyles, and overall well-being.
The Dan River Regional Health Collaborative is a cross-sector group of residents and institutions working to improve the health and well-being of the Dan River Region. To accomplish this work, they have built teams of dedicated volunteers to work on the topics of healthy eating, active living, access to healthcare and creating healthy spaces. In 2017, the Health Collaborative released its first Health Equity Report. Data for the report was gathering data from secondary sources such as the Virginia Department of Health, the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture as well as from residents through a community health survey, key informant interviews, and focus groups.
