FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2018
Contact: Veronica Mikitka Reed, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 215-434-7191
PHMC Community Health Data Base Launches 2018 Household Health Survey
Household Health Survey, a unique resource in Southeastern Pennsylvania gathers data to help inform health planning and decision-making
PHILADELPHIA – The Community Health Database (CHDB), housed at Public Health Management Corporation, is conducting its 15th Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey (HHS), a telephone survey of more than 10,000 households, now through October. As one of the longest-running household health surveys in the country, the HHS is a unique, valuable resource to Southeastern Pennsylvania communities and organizations. The HHS assesses the health and social wellbeing of residents in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties. Information is collected about health status, use of health services, access to care, and many other timely health issues, such as prescription opioid use, electronic cigarette use, childhood obesity, soda consumption, and mental health and wellbeing.
The HHS was launched in 1983, and since 1991, the survey has been conducted every two to three years. These repeated surveys provide a valuable opportunity to assess trends in health status, access to care, and behaviors in the Southeastern Pennsylvania region. Unlike other health surveys, which collect data at the state, county, city or metropolitan area, the HHS is conducted at a local geographic level, which supports the examination of patterns and health trends in neighborhoods and communities across the Southeastern Pennsylvania region.
“These data afford a rare opportunity to use a highly robust, data-driven approach to address matters of social justice and health equity across communities in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The survey offers an opportunity to learn about the experiences of Southeastern Pennsylvania residents on a whole host of health issues - everything from the ability to pay for health care, to accessibility of fresh fruits and vegetables in the community, to use and misuse of prescription pain medications” said Lisa Bond, Managing Director for PHMC’s research & Evaluation Group. “For almost two decades, local public health agencies, health systems and community organizations have used this invaluable resource to identify and prioritize health and social service needs in our region.”
The HHS is a critical resource for area health and social service agencies, including hospitals, local health departments, and community-based organizations, providing:
- Rich, local data on a multitude of health issues impacting residents of Southeastern PA
- Data that can be examined by census tract, neighborhood, health district, and zip code, as well as by county and region
- Longitudinal data that can be used to benchmark and measure changes over time
“The HHS is in the field now through the end of October,” said Mary Harkins-Schwarz, Director of The Community Health Database. “We encourage residents who receive a HHS call to take the survey. By taking part in the survey, residents help inform an understanding of the health assets and needs in the communities they live in,” said Mary Harkins-Schwarz. “We greatly value the contribution of those who participate in the HHS. This incredibly rich source of data is available because of the thousands of people from Southeastern Pennsylvania who agree to participate in the survey and talk about the health of their community.”
Take the call, share your insights, and #speakupforhealth!
For more information about the 2018 HHS, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at 215-985-2082 or visit www.chdbdata.org.
About Community Health Database
Since 1983, the Community Health Database (CHDB), a program of the Research & Evaluation Group at Public Health Management Corporation's (PHMC’s) has served the information needs of health and human service agencies in the Southeastern Pennsylvania region by providing up-to-date and reliable community-level health and social service data. The CHDB implements one of the longest running regional Household Health Surveys in the country. The CHDB’s mission is to drive data-led community impact for the well-being of the community. For more information, visit chdbdata.org
About PHMC’s Research & Evaluation Group
The Research & Evaluation Group at Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is dedicated to addressing disparities and inequities in health, social services, and education in order to improve the wellbeing of communities. Through applied evaluation, research, technical assistance, and advocacy and policy work, we support data-informed improvements to programs and systems across the U.S. The R&E Group leads the CHDB program. For more information, visit www.phmcresearch.org
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