Last Chance to Register! – Your Voice Matters! Join Focus Groups Across Garrett County in October

By John Corbin, Communications, Data Science, and Informatics Administrator

Hearing directly from local residents is vital to ensuring that local programs and services are culturally competent and reflect the needs of our community. To achieve this mission, Garrett County develops a Community Health Assessment (CHA) once every three years.

A Community Health Assessment is a collaborative process that gathers and analyzes data from various sources to identify health needs and issues in the community. A vital step in the process is talking with community members in focus groups about health factors and outcomes, as well as the social determinants of health, such as housing, income, employment, and access to healthcare. These conversations help shape a community-driven strategy that guides Garrett County’s local health department, hospital, federally qualified health center, and community agencies. 

More than 1,500 of your friends, family members, and neighbors have completed the recent Garrett County Community Health Assessment survey, prioritizing issues for further discussion in focus groups held across Garrett County’s many communities. 

The top priorities identified include:

• Access to Healthcare
• Jobs, Wages, and Economic Development
• Affordable Housing
• Mental Health
• Health Insurance

“The Population Health, Innovation, and Informatics Unit within the Garrett County Health Department champions this effort and works closely with Garrett Regional Medical Center, Mountain Laurel Medical Center, Community Action, the Garrett County Local Behavioral Health Authority, and the Garrett County Local Management Board to ensure scientific rigor and produce a dynamic Community Health Assessment that guides strategy across the county,” said Jennifer Hare, Interim Health Officer. 

You are invited to join Shelley Argabrite, MA, and Fred Polce, Jr., MS, for a free meal as they facilitate engaging discussions to help our community explore these issues more deeply. There are several focus group locations throughout the county, but only ten seats are available in each group. Please reserve a spot and participate in the discussion at one of the groups closest to your community. In addition to the meal, you will earn ten chances in a prize drawing for additional incentives. The link to sign up for a focus group is https://garretthealth.org/focus-groups/.

The final report will analyze the data collected, including the qualitative data from the focus groups, and provide the foundation to empower our community to make informed, data-driven decisions. These conversations will help the Garrett County Health Department and our partners understand the individual experiences of community members and discuss gaps in services and solutions.

“This outstanding turnout of community participation in our primary data collection enables us to develop a robust and dynamic report that guides strategy and helps our community secure essential grant funding,” said Shelley Argabrite, MA, Director of the Population Health, Innovation, and Informatics Unit. “We appreciate everyone who participates in this endeavor by filling out surveys and attending focus groups to provide the rich local data that we depend on as we seek to make a meaningful difference in Garrett County.” 

For more information, visit the Garrett County Health Department’s website at garretthealth.org or email Shelley Argabrite at [email protected].