Figuring out ways to help you live a healthier life is the goal of a new community health assessment published by the Door County Public Health Department this week. The Door County CHA is the final product of nearly 18 months of data collection, from figures from the United States Census and 242 community surveys to interviews with 16 people from all walks of life in Door County. The nearly 100-page document pointed to mental health, substance abuse, and healthy lifestyles as potential focus areas. For mental health, the study shows a wide gap in the ratio of the population to mental health providers, which is 720:1 in Door County, compared to 440:1 in Wisconsin and 350:1 in the United States. The significant increases in drug-overdose and alcohol-induced deaths brought up a concern about substance abuse in the region. Regarding healthy lifestyles, the study shows that only 45 percent of Door County middle and high school students ate fruits and vegetables over the past week, compared to 43 percent in Wisconsin and 59.3 percent nationally. Shauna Blackledge from Door County Public Health says the CHA gives them good targets to shoot for in the coming years.

Blackledge says the CHA will help the county develop a community action plan in the coming months. The Door County Alcohol and Other Drug Coalition (AODAC) and the free dental clinic are examples of programs born out of the findings of past CHAs. You can read the full document by clicking on this link.