The results are in for the Paulding County Health Assessment that was conducted during 2023. Paulding County Health Department held a Public Meeting to present the findings of the assessment to the public on January 18, 2024 at the Paulding County Health Department in Paulding. Stakeholders from throughout the county were in attendance at this meeting. Brandi Schrader, PCHD director of Environmental Health and Deputy Health Commissioner welcomed attendees from Paulding County Hospital, nursing staffs of the area high schools, Paulding County Sheriff Jason Landers, as well as the nursing staff of PCHD among others from the Paulding County community.
A healthy community consists of many components and to access where Paulding County in these areas – physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically –
Surveys, and focus group surveys were conducted in 2023. The data was collected and analyzed by Mosley Public Health to summate the 2023 Community Health Assessment (CHA) of Paulding County Ohio. Contributing partners of Paulding County Health Department for the completion of this assessment include community partners, local stakeholders, non-profit partners and community residents.
Schrader gave an overview of the CHA findings starting with identifying the top priorities according to survey interviews and focus groups. Major health issues impacting the community include mental health, substance use, alcoholism, diabetes, poor nutrition/lack of access to healthy foods, language barriers, poor communication/unsure where to get help, lack of information on accessing healthcare, and lack of resources on fun things to do and community involvement. **And one comment during the presentation about this was that the only dentist in the county that accepts Medicaid patients is retiring. It is hard for low income families to find a dentist that will accept medicaid without driving a great distance.**
The health needs of Paulding County were ranked according to the results of the community member survey and here they are in order of listing in the CHA: substance use, mental health and access to mental healthcare, income/poverty and employment, food insecurity (e.g. not being able to access and/or afford healthy food), access to healthcare (e.g. doctors, hospitals, specialist, medical appointments, etc.), access to childcare, adverse childhood experiences (e.g. child abuse, mental health, family issues, trauma), transportation (e.g. public transit, cars, cycling, walking), chronic diseases (e.g. heart disease, diabetes, cancer, asthma), nutrition and physical health/exercise, housing and homelessness, education (e.g. early childhood education, elementary school, post-secondary education), crime and violence, environmental conditions (e.g. air and water quality), Internet/Wi-Fi access, tobacco and nicotine use/smoking, preventative care and practices (e.g. mammograms, vaccinations), maternal, infant and child health (e.g. pre-term births, infant mortality, maternal mortality), HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Each of these health needs were then reviewed more closely. One detail that stands out is that from he community surveys, 54% of Paulding County residents who responded to the 2023 community member survey selected selected “Mental Health and access to mental healthcare” as a health need in Paulding County, as well as 27% of Paulding County residents who responded to the 2023 community member survey rate their access to mental or behavioral health serves as low or very low with another 41% rating it as neutral.
The conversation moved on from the troublous findings of the survey to Ideas for Change that came from community leaders and community members for how to support community health. This listing is very dynamic and aspiring for a better way of life for Paulding County. They included suggestions of Handle With Care program, trauma care for children, more awareness of young people vaping and bringing their products to school, expand insurance coverage and provide education about how to navigate the healthcare system, acquire more EMTs, increase drug prevention, education and safe drug storage programs, encourage childcare providers, intervention and detection of childhood chronic diseases, teach life skills and home economics in schools, use MyPlate aspects to teach people about food preparation, storage and safety, increase access to grocery stores, gyms for seniors, create more physical activity opportunities for the youth of the county to keep them active and healthy, which in turn will help create awareness about the risks of obesity.
Barriers to attaining these Ideas for Change was the next step in the discussion. These barriers are not unique, as everywhere faces the same ones. Resources to initiate these changes, funding to sustain these changes, equipping these changes with volunteers and trained individuals, and getting the community aware of what is available for them to utilize. A step in the right direction to correct these barriers is identifying them, but also making sure all stakeholders that can be of assistance with establishing these changes are involved in the decision making need to be present. The group at the meeting suggested that school guidance counselors and SROs should be involved in these meetings to give their input.
The group was also asked by Schrader to list the available resources available currently in Paulding County. Fitness Centers at PCH in Paulding and Antwerp, Growth Fitness in Paulding, Garrett Stoller’s fitness program, Club House in Paulding, Telehealth availability (and possible expansion), Hands of Hope, PC Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels, and the Mental Health First Aid program by OSU Extension office were all mentioned as services for the community’s physical, mental, emotional and psychological help.
“Next steps are to discuss Ideas for Change and prioritize them for the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). That will be discussed at the February meeting,” Schrader commented, “The CHA draft is open for public comment, review and edits until the end of January.”
February 10, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at the Paulding County Health Department is the date set for the next public meeting. Priorities of the health needs will be set for the Community Health Improvement Plan. If you would like to review the 2023 Community Health Assessment is available as a PDF for viewing and downloading on the Paulding County Health Department website, www.pauldingcountyhealth.com
