Downtown Bend survey focuses on health issues

Deschutes County Health Services is inviting residents and visitors to complete a brief survey about visiting downtown Bend that focuses on issues such as whether smoking or alcohol use affects how often you visit and your enjoyment of the area.

The anonymous online survey will be open for public input until Sunday, June 29. “The goal of the survey is to gather perspectives on how people view the social atmosphere in downtown areas,” the announcement reads.

It asks if smoking were banned in downtown shopping or dining areas, whether you would visit more or less often or about the same, and whether recipients would support banning the use of e-cigarettes indoors.

It also asks if you find over-use or underage use of alcohol downtown “bothersome.”

The survey asks if smoking or alcohol use, as well as issues like parking or crowds, are important in deciding whether and how often to visit downtown Bend.

The survey also asks if there are certain times of the day or week when respondents avoid going downtown, and whether they favor stronger enforcement, more security or police presence, better monitoring of over-service, etc.

Finally, it asks if the respondent “would like downtown Bend to be more family-friendly” or if “the current atmosphere is fine with me.”

The announcement continues below:

Downtown Bend is a special place. Because Deschutes County is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all who visit downtown areas, Health Services, in conjunction with the Rede Group, has published the survey.

The survey will be used in the work of the Deschutes County Health Services Department and the Shared Future Coalition to help enhance the lives of people living in Deschutes County.

Questions gauge the respondent’s primary purpose for visiting downtown Bend, and health and safety related questions which may or may not impact enjoyment of the downtown area.

The survey is anonymous and available for public access now through Sunday, June 29. Depending on the level of public response, the survey may stay open for a longer period of time.

The link to the survey is: http://conta.cc/UGEtOI. Results will be shared with key stakeholders and the other interested members of the public.

Together with the public and other community partners, Deschutes County works to promote and protect the health and safety of our communities.

For more information, please contact Deschutes County Community Project Coordinator, Julie Spackman at julie.spackman@deschutes.org or by phone at (541) 388-6619