2021 Chatham County Community Assessment
Executive Summary
understanding the needs of the community
identifying factors that affect health and well-being in Chatham County
determining the availability of resources within the community to support optimal health for all
The Community Assessment is a collaborative effort between the Chatham Health Alliance, the Chatham County Public Health Department (CCPHD), and Chatham Hospital, in addition to community members throughout the county, with the goals of:
Meet accreditation requirements for the CCPHD and Chatham Hospital Identify priority areas for Chatham Health Alliance
Understand changes in community health over time
Identify and understand any inequities between different populations in Chatham
Improve services and supports to address community needs
Pursue funding to support these services by a number of agencies and organizations
The results of this process are used to:
Historic and continued systemic racism persists in driving health inequities across nearly all facets of health and well-being in Chatham County.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected nearly every area of health and well- being of Chatham County, mostly in a negative way.
Priorities identified in the previous Community Assessment remain
concerns, including access to health care, healthy eating and active living, and economic resilience. New topics also emerged as priorities, including mental health and substance use, transportation, and employment.
Growth and development in Chatham County present both opportunities and challenges for the future.
Key findings and themes from the 2021 Community Assessment include:
See the full 2021 Chatham County Community Assessment:
www.chathamcountync.gov/healthreports
Join the Chatham Health Alliance: www.chathamhealthalliancenc.org
0 20 40 60 Chatham County
Non-citizens Foreign-born residents Hispanic/Latinx residents Those living in poverty Worked less than full-time
2018 2021 9.8% 8.7%
Percent of Chatham County adults who reported not
having a primary healthcare provider
Chatham County
North Carolina
United States
10.7% 14.0% 12.8%
4x
Health Impact Priorities
Access to Comprehensive Health Services
Approximately 1 in 10 Chatham County residents (9.9%) do not have health insurance.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Chatham County Community Survey. Chatham Health Alliance; 2021.
S2701: Selected Characteristics of Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2020: ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables. https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?
q=Health%20Insurance&g=0500000US37037. Accessed April 27, 2022.
Chatham County Community Survey. Chatham Health Alliance; 2018.
Sources
Economic Resilience
Source: Chatham County Community Survey
Nearly 1 in 3 Chatham County adults reported that money was a primary
cause of stress for them.
formerly "Poverty"
S1701: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months. 2020: ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables. U.S. Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?
q=Chatham%20County,%20North%20Carolina&t=Official%20Poverty%20Measure&
g=0100000US_0400000US37_1600000US3761860&tid=ACSST5Y2020.S1701.
Accessed March 18, 2022.
Poverty and Health - The Family Medicine Perspective (Position Paper). American Academy of Family Physicians. https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/poverty- health.html. Accessed March 28, 2022.
Sources
9.9%
58.2%
39.0%
32.8%
25.6%
25.3%
Percent of residents that do not have health insurance, by demographic
Percent of Chatham County residents reported facing some kind of barrier to
accessing healthcare in 2021.
.
Percent of residents living at or below the poverty level, 2020
Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx residents
were nearly four times as likely to experience poverty
in 2020 compared to White
residents in Chatham County.
Reason Percent Convenience 41.3%
Not enough time to shop for or
prepare 18.9%
Cost 17.3%
34.1%
32.1%
20022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021 40
30 20 10 0
CHATHAM COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA
0 5 10 15 20
Chatham County North Carolina United States
Sources
Mental Health & Substance Use
Chatham County Community Survey. Chatham Health Alliance; 2021.
Chatham County High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Chatham County Schools; 2019.
Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan Data Dashboard. NC Department of Health and Human Services.
https://www.ncdhhs.gov/opioid-and-substance-use-action-plan-data-dashboard. Accessed March 7, 2022.
Sources
Percent of Chatham County households reported that they worried they would run out of food before they
had money to buy more within the past year
Percent of Chatham County adults who said ____ was a reason they do not eat healthy snacks
and meals Percent of Chatham County adults
reported ever being told they are overweight or have obesity.
Percent of Chatham County high schoolers reported being overweight or having obesity.
of Chatham County adults reported participating in at least 1 hour of physical activity in a typical day
53.7%
reported being physically active at least 60 minutes per day on 5 or more days of the previous week
57.1%
of Chatham County middle schoolers
41.4%
of Chatham County high schoolers
Chatham County High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2019.
Chatham County Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2019 Chatham County Community Survey, 2021
Healthy Eating, Active Living formerly "Obesity"
Chatham County unintentional drug overdose deaths per 100,000 populations from 2002 to 2021
2.8
24.2
11.6
17.8 10.6
6.3 3.2 10.0 0.0 3.5
7.6 9.9 11.7 12.8
11.2 13.1 13.6
19.4 22.2
31.5
Several key mental health indicators worsened among Chatham County
adults from 2018 to 2021.
Percent of high schoolers reporting ever misusing prescription pain medicine or using
it without a prescription, 2019 19.9%
16.6%
14.3%
New Strategic Planning Priority Areas
33.4 34.9
Demographic group Median household income White, non Hispanic-Latinx $81,165
Hispanic/Latinx $50,461
Black/African American $41,498
Female householder, no spouse, with
children under 18
$30,224
2.8%
4.0%
55.6% 28.5%
Employment/Income
North Carolina’s January County and Area Employment Figures Released. N.C. Department of Commerce.
https://files.nc.gov/nccommerce/press-release/files/Jan-2022-county-release-combined.pdf. Published March 18, 2022.
Accessed March 18, 2022.
B08007: Sex of Workers by Place of Work – State and County Level. 2020: ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables. U.S. Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?
q=b08007&g=0100000US_0400000US37_0500000US37037_1600000US3761860&tid=ACSDT5Y2020.B08007. Accessed March 18, 2022.
S1903: Median Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2020 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars): American Community Survey. United States Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?
q=median%20household%20income&g=0400000US37_0500000US37037&y=2020. Accessed April 5, 2022.
Sources
Transportation
Chatham County Community Survey. Chatham Health Alliance; 2021.
Percent of Zero-Car Households, 2014-2019. Chatham County GIS.
