Community Health Data

Community health is the mutual well-being of community members. RRHD uses metrics to understand the health of our community. The data help us to plan, manage, and define areas to take action to improve health.

Gun injuries are now the leading cause of death among U.S. children and teens 1-19 years of age (2022). Many of these unintentional injuries and deaths are preventable with safe storage. Rappahannock Rapidan offers trigger locks with our program Locks Guns 4 Loved Ones. Residents may pick a free lock at any health department office during normal business hours, no questions asked.

In RRHD, firearm-related deaths increased by 65% over the last 5 years, and 72% of those deaths were suicide.  For comparison, firearm deaths increased in Virginia for the same time period by 27%.

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Maternal and Child Health (MCH)

Maternal and child health programs in Virginia work to improve the health and well-being of mothers, children, and families. 

Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy and childbearing include risks to mother and child health and have social and economic consequences. For example, only 50% of teen mothers in the United States receive a high school diploma by the age of 22.

Although there has been a steady decline in teen pregnancy nationwide, the US teen birth rate remains significantly higher than in other western industrialized countries. RRHD offers family planning services to teens, please go to our family planning page for more information.

Infant Mortality

Infant mortality is the death of an infant before their first birthday. The top 5 leading causes of infant mortality are: 1) birth defects, 2) preterm birth and low birth weight, 3) sudden infant death syndrome, 4) injuries, 5) maternal pregnancy complications. The health district has a lower rate of infant death at 4.71 deaths per 1,000 births compared to 5.75 deaths per 1,000 live births in Virginia. In a three-year span between 2017 and 2020, the infant mortality rate increased by over 40% in the district.  

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Mental Health

Mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Mental health is important in every stage of our life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Over the course of our lives, many will experience mental health problems or distress. Mental health distress is characterized by 14 or more days of mental health per month and includes anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms (like sleeping problems, fatigue, and headache). 

Suicide

Suicide was the leading cause of death in the United States in 2020 and is currently the second leading cause of death in children and young adults. Suicide and suicide attempts cause emotional, physical, and economic consequences on the individual, family, and community. 

If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Trained crisis workers are available 24/7. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

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The substance use and abuse epidemic is a widespread public health emergency that has led to an increase in emergency room visits, non-fatal overdoses, and the spread of infectious diseases linked to needle use.

In the past five years, our health district has experienced over 200 overdose deaths. The totals and rates continue to climb along with the threat of new drugs introduced into our community.

Opioids

Opioid overdoses are the leading cause of substance use overdoses in the state and our district. Opioids are a class of drugs that include: heroin, synthetic opioids (like fentanyl), and pain relievers that are legally prescribed (like oxycodone). An overdose is characterized by a decrease in breathing that leads to death.

According to VDH's Fatal Overdose Surveillance, RRHD has a higher rate of fatal opioid overdoses (23.7 per 100,000 total population) than Virginia (24.9 per 100,000 total population).

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Naloxone

Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses an overdose. Rappahannock Rapidan Health District provides Naloxone (Narcan) free of charge to residents, first responders, and local organizations to prevent fatal opioid overdoses. Individuals may call their local health department. Groups or businesses, please email: AskRRHD@vdh.virginia.gov.

Social determinants of health (SDH) are conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that shape their health outcomes. They can be grouped into 5 domains: Economic Stability, Education Access and Quality, Health Care Access and Quality, Neighborhood and Built Environment, and Social and Community.

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

Click the link for a quick video that provides and overview of SDH as found in Healthy People 2030: https://youtu.be/2UK7NrHOsmA