Healthy Tri-County Symposium & Report Inspire Progress through Partnership

Healthy Tri-County, a regional initiative – powered by Core Partners MUSC Health, Roper St. Francis Healthcare and Trident United Way – released the Tri-County Health Landscape: 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment Report (CHNA) at the third annual Tri-County Health Symposium at Trident Technical College. More than 250 local professionals and community members attended the symposium and received updates about regional health priorities. The symposium attendees were greeted by more than 30 healthcare, public health, social service and education vendors providing community resources.

The 2019 CHNA report contains the findings from the community health needs assessment survey conducted in the spring of 2019 with the help of nearly 20 community partners. The survey was completed by more than 5,300 Tri-County respondents. Based on regulations of the Affordable Care Act, Roper St. Francis Healthcare, a non-profit hospital system, is required to complete a CHNA every three years. Since 2016, MUSC Health and TUW have supported this effort.  

“The CHNA process has proven to be even more successful and useful year after year,” said Roper St. Francis Healthcare Vice President of Mission, Mark Dickson. “The 2019 survey responses have been amazingly reflective of the entire Tri-County population. This means the feedback from people, of various ages, races, income levels will be considered for the future planning and development of needed healthcare services in our area.”

The 2019 CHNA survey respondents were asked to rank the top 10 health topic areas from Healthy People 2020 that impact the communities where they live and/or work from 1 (most concerning) to 10 (least concerning), which yielded the following results: 

1.     Access to Care	6.   Oral Health
2.    Obesity, Nutrition & Physical Activity	7.   Tobacco Use
3.    Maternal, Infant & Child Health	8.   Injury & Violence
4.    Mental & Behavioral Health	9.   Substance Abuse
5.    Clinical Preventive Services	10. Sexual Health

Healthy Tri-County is committed to supporting collective efforts that improve health outcomes for Tri-County residents as prioritized through the 2019 CHNA. Each Core Partner organization will independently prioritize how to address the health needs and barriers identified in the CHNA. 

“As MUSC Health works to improve health equity for the patients and families we serve, the Tri-County Health Landscape: 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment will be a critical component in understanding the challenges and opportunities to improve outcomes for those most vulnerable in our community,” said MUSC Health Chief Diversity Officer & Executive Director of Community Health Innovation, Anton Gunn.

The Healthy Tri-County initiative network, which includes 69 formal member organizations, more than 100 community volunteers and more than 1200 individuals, will be even better to positioned to improve local health outcomes. 

“The theme of the symposium this year – Partners in Progress: Pathway to a Healthy Tri-County – speaks both to the reality that this work cannot be tackled independently by one organization, and that positively impacting identified health outcomes is a journey that will require time, talent and tenacity,” said Trident United Way Director of Health, Kellye McKenzie.

The 16-page CHNA Report is available online at  https://www.healthytricounty.com/CHNA-report-data-form. Additionally, one-page summaries for Tri-County region are available to help community-based organizations, government agencies and individuals be better informed about the priorities as voiced by community members. To learn more, visit  healthytricounty.com