06/16/04 — Study takes pulse of county's health

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Study takes pulse of county's health

By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on June 16, 2004 2:00 PM

The Health Department is putting the finishing touches on a four-month checkup on Wayne County's health.

The state mandates that a community health assessment be done every four years.

"The whole idea behind community assessments is for folks involved in health care to identify where the needs are, where we can get the most bang for the buck," said James Roosen, county health director. "This will give us some idea of where we need to focus in Wayne County."

Among the topics covered in the 28-page document are programs on the uninsured, county tax dollars used for Medicaid, infant mortality rates, communicable diseases and death rates. The project is a joint effort supported by the state Center for Health Statistics and the Office of the Healthy Carolinians -- Health Education.