Summit County’s two top public health officials Thursday delivered a sweeping look at the community’s overall health, an hourlong presentation crammed with information about everything from fourth-grade literacy rates and drug addiction to elderly abuse and infant mortality.
There is good news: Teen pregnancy rates, poverty and the number of uninsured in the county have gone down in recent years.
But there is bad news, too: There’s a 40-day wait to get treatment for substance abuse; 16.9 percent of high school students have seriously considered killing themselves; and even though more people have insurance, many can’t afford the copays so they still don’t receive healthcare.
Health Commissioner Donna Skoda and Jerry Craig, executive director of the Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction, & Mental Health Services Board, invited more than 100 Summit County nonprofit, healthcare and government leaders to hear the presentation, hoping to spur new collaborations to solve public health issues.
Both Skoda and Craig repeatedly connected the dots to show the leaders how one problem left unsolved can lead to generations of larger community issues.
If children don’t learn to read by the fourth grade, for example, their education ends because all learning beyond fourth grade happens through reading, Skoda said.
And the less education someone has, the less money they make, leading to poverty and myriad problems — including health — that often go with it, she said.
Skoda and Craig said they will target some obvious health issues in the county: Reducing alcohol and tobacco use while boosting exercise and nutritious eating.
But they also plan to take on some not-so-obvious public health issues.
• Violence prevention: “I was a free-range kid. I came home when the streetlights came on,” Skoda said. People, young and old, need to feel safe enough to do that now, she said.
• Employment opportunities: Employment is part of addiction recovery, Craig said, adding that some people need to gain “soft skills” others take for granted, like learning to ask for help from a co-worker or showing up daily to work on time.
• Transportation expansion: If people have a way to get to social services, healthcare or jobs, they will have a better chance at using them and getting onto a successful path.
In 2016, Skoda and Craig will work together and with others on an in-depth analysis of community health. In 2017, they will use that information to strategize improvements. Solutions don’t necessarily cost more money, Skoda said, adding that collaboration can often yield affordable results.
“This is an opportunity for all,” Skoda said, “to have input on how to make Summit County a better place to live.”
Amanda Garrett can be reached at 330-996-3725 or agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com.