{"id":8886,"date":"2022-11-18T19:35:46","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T19:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/roanoke\/?p=8886"},"modified":"2024-07-22T15:14:23","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T15:14:23","slug":"community-update-week-of-november-18th-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/roanoke\/2022\/11\/18\/community-update-week-of-november-18th-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight on Rural Health"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RCAHD Community Health Update
\n<\/span>A Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts publication<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Spotlight on Rural Health<\/h2>\n

Each day our Roanoke Valley and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) staff work to promote and encourage good health for our 278,000 local residents. Our name reflects that technically we are two health districts: the Roanoke Health District, which serves the 99,000 residents of the City of Roanoke, and the Alleghany Health District, which serves the 179,000 residents of the cities of Covington and Salem as well as the counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig and Roanoke.<\/p>\n

Since a large portion of our population lives in a rural setting, it is fitting that this month we observe National Rural Health Day (November 17), a day set aside to honor rural stakeholders and the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face. While some public health issues transcend all settings, to better serve our rural residents, especially vulnerable populations, we need to understand the circumstances that impact their health.<\/p>\n

As an example, a sizable number of residents in our rural communities are among the 20% of Virginians who rely on private wells as their primary source of water. Through our on-site program, we have dedicated Environmental Health staff who help residents protect water quality of private water supplies every day.<\/p>\n

Also essential to our public health efforts are community partnerships in each of our localities. Our RCAHD partners in public health include a wide array of hospitals, schools, local governments, social service agencies, healthcare providers, nonprofits, churches, businesses, and more. We look to them to help us better understand our residents\u2019 needs and experiences, and as partners in providing services and better access to care.<\/p>\n

In Covington and Alleghany County, we are working with partners such as Lewis-Gale Alleghany, the Alleghany Foundation, the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce, Alleghany Highlands Community Services and others to relaunch an Alleghany Highlands community health assessment. Early outcomes of this work include:<\/p>\n