II. PURPOSE AND PROCESS
PURPOSE
This assessment is intended to provide credible data on the community's physical health, mental health, and substance abuse status for the purpose of future planning, policy recommendations, issue solutions, and resource allocations. This document will serve as a reference for service programs and supports, advocacy groups, community leadership, community education, funding sources, and those who receive services. The document emphasizes the interrelatedness of physical health, mental health, and substance abuse. This work also marks a transition from focusing on diseases and mortality to focusing on the causes and determinants of diseases and ill health. While the measures of death and disease are still the most available indicators of a community's health, we more clearly acknowledge the benefits of addressing the true determinants of health. Coinciding with this transition, we also recognize the value and efficiency of wellness and prevention services in improving the health of individuals and the community as a whole.
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PROCESS
This report is an update of previous assessments of the community. The first formal effort was a master study conducted through community input and information gathering called Snapshot of Our Community and was published in May of 1995. The second stage was an extensive effort in 1996 and 1997 that produced Strategies for Building a Stronger Community: A Community Guide and it's companion Community Assessment Report, 1998.
This assessment was developed through the combined efforts of multiple agencies and several different data collection methods. A team made up of individuals from various health agencies developed a plan and timelines for the creation and development of the report. Data for multiple health indicators from several sources at the local, state, and national levels were collected and analyzed.
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Staff from several health organizations, with input from numerous community planning groups, developed this consensus report.
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Trends were compared to past performances on local health indicators as well as to state and national trends. A community health forum on mind and body health was conducted to gather input from a wide representative group of community participants. The participants looked at the causes of health outcomes to identify collaborative advantages across a range of health issues. Focus groups were also sponsored by community collaborative groups including: The Central Texas Communities of Color Health Network; Citizens Health Care Network; Indigent Care Collaboration; The Children's Partnership; Adult Mental Health Planning Group; Comprehensive School Health Collaboration; Healthy Communities Unit; Substance Abuse Planning Partnership; and Community Neighborhood Representatives, as well as others providing input into the development and process of this assessment. Results from the data analysis, health forum, and focus groups were used to identify critical health issues, assess the community's health status, and suggest opportunities for health improvement.
This report examines the health status of Travis County and includes some data on the Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area. Data from the ten-year period from 1989 to 1998 are included, along with data from 1999 when available. The report assesses general physical health, mental health, and the impact of substance abuse on the health and well being of the community. Specialized health areas such as long-term health care, pediatric care, and alternative medicine are not specifically addressed. However, the importance of these and other areas of service are recognized as factors influencing the health of the community.
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The report assesses general physical health, mental health, and the impact of substance abuse on the health and well being of the community.
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ACTIONS
This report presents a set of preliminary recommendations but is not intended to fulfill a comprehensive community planning process. The recommendations identified in this document represent work already in development by various organizations that have been identified by this assessment as sound practices for addressing the major issues affecting the health and wellness of the community. These recommendations are intended to set the direction for a more complete and inclusive planning process. The authors of this report recognize that there may be other strategies being developed and services provided by other agencies/groups that also have merit and should be identified and integrated into a comprehensive community plan.
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