Delaware County Health Department Reports on Community Health Assessments Survey Progress

Released: June 16, 2023

Responses Needed from People of Color, Males, and Young Adults

The Delaware County Health Department (DCHD) launched its Community Health Survey on May 9th to hear from residents about their health needs and concerns, as well as their perspectives about how well their communities offer access to spaces and services that assure good health.

As of June 12th, the Department has received 2,077 complete responses to the survey. With a goal of receiving at least 3,000 responses by June 30th, the department has reached 69% of its goal. DCHD’s Community Health Assessment Team has analyzed survey response goals by age group, race/ethnicity, and municipality (town/borough/city). The Department aims to have a well-rounded survey response that closely matches the demographic and geographic make-up of the county.

The survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and is available in 9 languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Punjabi, Urdu, and Vietnamese). The survey can be accessed here and is also available on the DCHD website and Facebook page.

Dashboard Launched
The Community Health Assessment Dashboard is now live! The dashboard is available on the DCHD Community Health Assessment website to allow interested parties to follow along with the DCHD and monitor progress and findings. This tool provides the ability to identify trends across geographic and demographic boundaries. The Health Department and its partners will use these data to identify health disparities, inequities, and understand the health needs of groups in Delaware County.

Groups to Reach
Based on the results so far, more efforts are needed to reach people of color, males, young adults (ages 18-24), people with high school or GED as highest level of education, those with an annual household income of less than $25,000, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Review of responses by municipality finds that more responses are needed from residents of: Chadds Ford, Chester City, Collingdale, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Eddystone, Folcroft, Millbourne, Newtown, Tinicum, and Upland.

The Delaware County Health Department encourages any adult who lives, works, goes to school or receives services in Delaware County to complete the survey, and help spread the word. Survey responses will help guide both the department and its partners in their efforts to address community health needs. This is an opportunity for everyone to share their voices and experiences.

Preliminary Findings
The primary health concerns of respondents to date are chronic disease (48% of respondents), mental health (45%), environmental safety (32%), drug/alcohol use disorders (28%), and violent injuries (22%). Community members expressed difficulty accessing affordable education after high school, affordable housing, and affordable quality childcare. The top environmental concerns were climate change (45%), air pollution (45%), drinking water quality (37%), and vector-borne diseases (ticks, mosquitos, etc.) (31%).