{"id":11722,"date":"2024-09-12T15:07:50","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T19:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=11722"},"modified":"2024-09-12T15:08:27","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T19:08:27","slug":"11722-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/archived-news-releases\/2024-regional-news-releases\/11722-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Rappahannock Area Health District and Mary Washington Healthcare Announce Launch of 2025 Community Health Assessment"},"content":{"rendered":"

September 12, 2024
\n<\/strong>RAHD Media Contact: <\/strong>Allison Balmes-John, Allison.Balmes@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a>
\nMWHC Media Contact: <\/strong>Eric Fletcher, Eric.Fletcher@mwhc.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Rappahannock Area Health District and Mary Washington Healthcare Announce Launch of 2025 Community Health Assessment<\/strong><\/p>\n

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. \u2013 The Rappahannock Area Health District (RAHD) and Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC) are excited to announce the launch of their joint 2025 Community Health Assessment (CHA) for Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties, and the City of Fredericksburg, as well as MWHC\u2019s surrounding service areas. Building on the success of their 2022 collaboration, which saw participation from more than 70 organizations, including nonprofits, faith-based groups, and government agencies, RAHD and MWHC are embarking together on this important initiative once again.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur last Community Health Assessment in 2022 exceeded our expectations. We saw a multitude of organizations come together to collaboratively address the biggest issues affecting health in our community which had not been seen before in our area,\u201d said Xavier Richardson, MWHC Senior Vice President and President of Mary Washington Foundation and Stafford Hospital Foundation. \u201cWe look forward to improving upon that experience to engage even more organizations and people in our region in the 2025 assessment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CHA is a critical tool for gaining a comprehensive understanding of our community\u2019s health needs and resources. Expanding the focus beyond traditional healthcare measures, this assessment will explore a broad range of social drivers of health, including housing, income, employment, education, food insecurity, and access to care. This collaborative effort will engage various organizations, groups, and residents to paint a detailed picture of health and health disparities in our community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe CHA is about getting a clear picture of the urgent health needs in our community and aligning community resources to better address those needs,\u201d said Dr. Olugbenga Obasanjo, Health Director for RAHD. \u201cA key step is to hear directly from residents about the health needs in our community, and we encourage community members from all walks of life to get involved and provide feedback during this process.\u201d<\/p>\n

To launch the CHA, a series of kickoff meetings will be held throughout the region:<\/p>\n