On Thursday, Community leaders, health experts, and medical professionals convened at Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition’s August 23, 2024 bi-monthly meeting at The Armstrong Center located at Georgia Southern’s Savannah campus to introduce the 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) survey for Chatham County. This collaborative effort, led by St. Joseph’s/Candler in partnership with the Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition (CGIC), Healthy Savannah, and the Medical College of Georgia (MCG), aims to capture essential data on the health and well-being of residents in Chatham County. 

The survey, which covers crucial health markers such as affordable housing, mental health, substance use, transportation, poverty, healthy eating, active living, availability of health insurance, and more, will be distributed widely later this month for public input. The involvement of MCG students is instrumental in refining and implementing the survey to ensure it effectively meets and addresses the needs of the community, particularly those in underserved areas. 

“Our health and well-being involves more than just a visit to the doctor, it involves things like the quality of our housing, access to transportation and much more," said Brendan Moss, Vice President of Mission Services at St. Joseph’s/Candler. “We are excited to partner with CGIC, Healthy Savannah, and MCG to cast a very wide net to conduct the Community Health Needs Assessment by reaching out to our community in a variety of ways, from flyers with QR codes which directly connect to the assessment, to working with MCG students who will be involved with obtaining assessment results through work at local events and gatherings, as well as through close connections with the community organizations that participate in the good work of the Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition. The survey, which take only 5-10 minutes to complete, will help SJC learn how to better respond to the needs of our community.”

Lizann Roberts, Executive Director of CGIC, noted that the “people who live here love this community. It’s not a small L, it’s a big L. This community is not without its flaws, and we have a lot of work to do. This partnership of MCG students, St. Joseph’s/Candler and community organizations in support of the Community Health Needs Assessment is groundbreaking work.”

The CHNA survey will be available in both English and Spanish and will be accessible through various social media platforms, online channels, and printed handouts with QR codes. The findings will not only guide St. Joseph’s/Candler in their health equity efforts but will also assist local organizations in securing grant funding to address community needs.

For more information on the 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment for Chatham County, please visit www.sjchs.org/needs-assessment.