CARSON CITY - Public health departments and other entities are required to complete regular assessments of community health. To simplify this process and make data more comparable between Nevada counties and the state, a statewide workgroup has completed a Nevada Core Health Indicators list.
Public health related data are available in many locations, such as the Nevada Network of Care website (http://networkofcare.org). The Nevada Core Health Indicators list identifies a minimum set of data that streamlines what all counties, the state and other entities completing community health assessments should include.
Additional data can always be included but these core indicators are meant to contribute to a comprehensive picture of the health of the community and state and to possibly act as a catalyst for action. For public health entities pursuing public health accreditation, comprehensive community health assessments are fundamental.
The statewide workgroup consists of representation from the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, Carson City Health and Human Services, the Southern Nevada Health District, the Washoe County Health District, the School of Community Health Sciences of the University of Nevada, Reno, the Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy at the School of Community Health Sciences of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Office of Statewide Initiatives at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
The collaboration of these representatives has resulted in a product that should serve as the foundation for improving the health of Nevadans.
The Nevada Core Health Indicators table and resource document are available at http://health.nv.gov/publications.htm. The statewide workgroup will be piloting version 1.0 of this tool throughout 2014, and will be meeting at the end of the year to discuss and refine the Indicator list.
Feedback and comments are welcome; contact PBHNVNetwork@health.nv.gov or (775) 684-5911.
For more information about the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, visit http://health.nv.gov.[[In-content Ad]]
