Cobb & Douglas Public Health (CDPH) and the community health coalitions – Cobb2020 and Live Healthy Douglas, partnered with Kennesaw State University to recently release the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) for 2017-2021 along with the 2016 Cobb and Douglas Community Health Assessment (CHA).

The 2016 Cobb and Douglas CHA includes data collected between 2011 – 2015, and provides a comprehensive picture of health in our community, including demographics, economics, and key health risks impacting individuals, businesses, and organizations. Typically, this assessment is conducted every five years and this is the second cycle for Cobb and Douglas counties.

Guided by needs identified in the CHA, the Cobb and Douglas Community Health Improvement Plan II (2017-2021) provides CDPH, its partners, and the community health coalitions a 5-year strategic action plan to implement community-based changes to improve long-term health and wellness, monitor progress toward goals, and establish future goals.

Highlights in these reports include:

  • CHIP strategic health priorities for the next five years are:
    • Improving access to health services
    • Creating a community that supports healthy lifestyle choices
  • Additional areas of focus include evaluating mental/behavioral health service needs, reducing infant death disparities in the counties and exploring ways to better target the efficient delivery of needed services.
  • Chronic diseases and leading causes of death:
    • Cobb County: heart and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death
    • Douglas County: lung cancer is the leading cause of death

“The Cobb and Douglas CHA report provides valuable insight into the health status of our communities and the gaps identified by our residents and leaders” said Dr. Jack Kennedy, District Health Director. “Using this information, our agency, our health coalitions, and our partners have put together a CHIP to improve access to quality health services and reduce chronic diseases by creating a community that supports healthier lifestyle choices for all our diverse residents.”

Download the reports by visiting the CDPH publications page: https://www.cobbanddouglaspublichealth.com/publications/.