UNE's Center for Community and Public Health presented The St. Louis County Health Department's 2011 Community Needs Assessment

The St. Louis County Department of Health released its 2011 Community Needs Assessment this week.  The report, which cost the county $200,000, was presented by the University of New England's Center for Community and Public Health.

The report was presented by Ron Deprez, Director of UNE's Center for Community and Public Health.  He emphasized that the data is a starting point for policy planning and development.  He states, "If you don't know the lay of the land - your population, geography, the health system around you - you'll never be able to get anywhere in terms of planning.  We have to understand population.  These projects are really meant to ask question.  They're not meant to give you answers."

The study included a telphone survey of 2,149 residents of St. Louis County; 530 in mid-county, 543 in north county, 530 in south county and 546 in west county.  "The two biggest determinants of health are income and education," said Deprez.  "We need to determine where the gaps are, and what we can do to improve access to primary care, regardless of insurance coverage."  The Health Department will meet with community leaders, academic experts, healthcare providers and organizations, to identify resources and decide which issues to tackle.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.