| Introduction Scope
This report brings together a wide array
of community health indicators in San Mateo County gathered from both primary and
secondary data sources. This project was conducted by Professional Research Consultants,
Inc. (PRC) on behalf of the Healthy Community Collaborative of San Mateo County. The goals
of the Community Collaborative are two fold:
- To produce a functional, comprehensive community needs
assessment that can be used for strategic planning of community programs and as a
guideline for policy and advocacy efforts; and
- To promote collaborative efforts in the community and
develop collaborative projects based on the data, community input, and group consensus.
This report is a comprehensive assessment
of our county’s health and quality of life. It contains:
An executive summary of key findings;
A description of the assessment process and research
methodology;
- The body of the document which consists of an integration
and analysis of primary and secondary quantitative data; and
- A separate section containing qualitative data, and various
appendices.
This assessment is a systemic, data-driven
approach to determining our community’s health needs. This information should be used
to formulate strategies to improve our quality of life. This document was designed to
serve as a tool for guiding policy and planning efforts. From this assessment, it is
anticipated that we will be able to identify not only what problems need to be addressed,
but also identify what is best about the county and move forward to build on those
strengths.
With a commitment to community wellness, a
host of San Mateo County organizations came together in 1998 to conduct this community
needs assessment. For the purposes of this assessment, our definition of community health
is one that is not limited to traditional health measures. This definition includes
indicators relating to the quality of life (e.g., homelessness, affordable housing,
education and employment), as well as the physical health of the county’s residents.
This decision reflects the Collaborative’s view that community health is affected by
many factors and cannot be adequately understood without consideration of trends outside
the realm of health care.
This assessment is intended to draw on the
wealth of data housed in the county, and build on previous research conducted to this end.
For participating not-for-profit hospitals, this assessment will also serve to assist in
developing Community Benefit Plans. |