Healthy York County, Visioning and Assessment Report

From November 2007 to June 2010, the three Healthy Maine Partnerships in York County, also known as the York Public Health District, led an assessment process as the first step toward community-wide strategic planning to improve the health and quality of life of those who live in York County.

 The Healthy Maine Partnerships are:

1. Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition at the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine;
2. Partners for Healthier Communities, a program of Goodall Hospital; and,
3. Choose to Be Healthy at York Hospital.

A core group of organizations joined them including: theUnited Way of York County, York County Community Action Corporation, Southern Maine Medical Center, Northern York County Family YMCA and the York District Tobacco Coordinator. The group named themselves Healthy York County.

Healthy York County utilized the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) process created by the National Association of City and County Health Officials.

A community visioning activity preceded four assessments:

1. Community Themes and Strengths Assessment;
2. Community Health Status Assessment;
3. Forces of Change Assessment ; and
4. Local Public Health System Assessment

The conclusions from these assessments show that community members’ concerns about

• obesity,
• cancer,
• substance abuse and
• tobacco

are supported by the data and indicate a need for continued focus on these health issues.

You can download and read the full report, Healthy York County Maine: Community Assessment.