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2001 SURVEY INDEX | CHAP ORGANIZATIONS | COMMUNITY COALITION

CHAP

The Sedgwick County Community Health Assessment Project (CHAP) was conducted throughout 1995-97, following a health summit of local health care agencies and key players in the health community, city and county elected officials, business leaders, and other stake holders who called for a community-wide assessment of public health needs. In response, a partnership of the University of Kansas Medical School--Wichita, Wichita State University-College of Health Professions, and Wichita-Sedgwick County Department of Community Health (WSCDCH) worked with community leaders to complete the detailed, comprehensive, health assessment. Funded by the Kansas Health Foundation, the CHAP included 20 focus groups and town meetings, a random digit dial telephone survey, and a door-to-door survey in four neighborhoods identified as "vulnerable." Areas experiencing high poverty and crime were also found to have the worst morbidity and mortality rates. A canvass of community agencies in Wichita-Sedgwick County identified over 300 medical and social service programs operating in an isolated manner which resulted in fragmentation of services. Although clinical services are adequate in number, little or no coordination of care among medial and social services is available. Barriers to care reported by members of low income communities included lack of assistance obtaining health insurance and access to medical services, presence of family violence or family/personal mental health/substance abuse problems lack of transportation and child care, lack of societal breast feed support, and lack of adult education and employment training.

Eight health priorities were selected, based on magnitude and importance of all identified problems as well as feasibility of effecting change. Among the maternal and child health priorities identified as most important were 1)infant mortality, 2) low birth weight, 3) adolescent pregnancy, 4) prenatal care, and 5)breastfeeding. CHAP partners agreed to participate in relevant task forces, work groups and to coordinate service linkages.

Summary Report Index