‘Things change’: C.O. health care leaders ask you to take online survey, help identify region’s top wellness concerns

(Update: Adding video, KTVZ.COM Poll; comments from C.O. Health Council, Crook County Health Dept.)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A health care survey that could shape the future of services in Central Oregon is now available for you to take. It's a 10-minute online survey for residents of the tri-county area and will be available through September.

The survey is being administered by the Central Oregon Health Council in partnership with St. Charles Health System, Crook County Health Department, Deschutes County Health Services and Jefferson County Public Health.

"Things change. Things evolve," Crook County Health and Human Services Director Katie Plumb said Thursday. "So it's important that we reassess."

This is the first survey of the regional health assessment. It'll identify needs, weaknesses and strengths in the community.

Whitney Schumacher, Central Oregon Health Council Project Manager, MPH, said, "The regional health assessment is done every five years, and the regional health assessment tells us what's important to our communities."

In 2019, the assessment identified top concerns like poverty and enhancing self sufficiency, behavioral health, stable housing, promoting enhanced physical health, and substance and alcohol misuse and oral health.

Schumacher added, "It's really important that we hear from everybody all over the region -- all walks of life, all ages, young people, seniors."

This year's regional health assessment will include secondary data, focus groups, and the new survey. It will provide information to health care leaders on how to invest funds. 

Plumb said, "We're sharing it -- word of mouth is really powerful. Telling the story of why our voices in Crook County matter and why it's so important that we share our experiences."

Community members who take the survey can also enter a drawing to win prizes, including an iPad, Mac Mini, $100 grocery store gift card or $100 gas station gift card. Seven prize winners will be selected randomly each month through September.  

According to Schumacher, information from the survey will be used to inform community health improvement plans and funding invested in community health and well-being. 

“Our collective goal is to build an equitable and integrated health ecosystem in Central Oregon, and we can only do that well with input from our neighbors," she said. "We need to hear what matters most and what will make the greatest impact on the health of our communities.” 

“It's important for each of us to have a voice in the health of the communities we call home," she added. "We’re reaching out in a number of different ways to engage marginalized communities of Central Oregon.”

To take the survey, Central Oregon community members can visit cohealthsurvey.org. For more information, visit https://cohealthcouncil.org/community-health-survey/ .

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About the Central Oregon Health Council

The Central Oregon Health Council is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt public and private community governance entity dedicated to improving the health of the region and oversight of the Medicaid population and the Coordinated Care Organization. Senate Bill 204 officially created the COHC in 2011 to facilitate collaboration, regional planning and community governance. The COHC serves as the community governing entity over the region’s Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), PacificSource Community Solutions. COHC connects the CCO, community members, providers, and community-based organizations to resources in Central Oregon.