Genesee County Health Department

Better Life Through Better Health

Date:                           June 26, 2009

Release Date:             For Immediate Release          End Date: July 15, 2009

Contact Person:          Suzanne Cupal, M.P.H.

                                    Community Health Analyst

Genesee County Health Department

Phone:                         (810) 768-7970

RE:                              Speak to Your Health! Community Survey Begins

Beginning this month, hundreds of Genesee County residents will get a telephone call asking them to participate in a survey about their own health and the health of their community.  The survey, called the 2009 Speak to Your Health! Community Survey, is sponsored by the Prevention Research Center of Michigan and the Genesee County Health Department.  This is the fourth time that the survey has been conducted in an ongoing effort to monitor the health of Flint and Genesee County residents.  The Speak to Your Health! Community Survey was also conducted in 2003, 2005, and 2007.

The 2009 Speak to Your Health! Community Survey will collect important and up-to-date information about the health and quality of life of Genesee County residents.  Approximately 1800 adults throughout the county will be randomly selected to participate in the telephone survey.  Participants will be asked about a variety of health issues, including their own health status and behaviors as well as access to health care, neighborhood conditions, and more.

According to John McKellar, Acting Health Officer at the Genesee County Health Department, information from previous surveys has been used to obtain funding for local programs to prevent violence, provide health care to the uninsured, reduce tobacco use, reduce sexually transmitted diseases, and address other community health priorities.  Survey findings also guide the Genesee County Health Department and other local agencies as they plan their future work to improve health and quality of life in Genesee County.

The Prevention Research Center of Michigan is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is a partnership among Dort-Oak Park Neighborhood House; Faith Access to Community Economic Development (FACED); the Flint/Genesee County Neighborhood Roundtable; Flint Odyssey House, Inc. Health Awareness Center; YOUR Center; Greater Flint Health Coalition; Genesee County Community Action Resource Department; Genesee County Health Department; University of Michigan-Flint; and University of Michigan School of Public Health.

The survey will be administered by the Michigan Public Health Institute.  Results of the 2003, 2005, and 2007 Speak to Your Health! Community Surveys are available at http://www.sph.umich.edu/prc or http://www.gchd.us/ReportsAndData/SpeakToYourHealth.asp or by calling the Genesee County Health Department at (810) 768-7970.  Results of the 2009 survey will be available later this year.

“Knowledge is wealth, and this survey will ensure that community residents’ voices are heard,” says Lee Bell, Education and Training Chair of the Flint/Genesee County Neighborhood Roundtable.  “If you are one of the fortunate residents called, be sure to Speak to Your Health!”

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