You have a chance to give your thoughts about public health in Sangamon County.
Memorial Medical Center, St. John's Hospital and the Sangamon County Public Health Department are teaming up to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment. Information is being gathered through five local forums starting this week and an online survey.
"After the first of the year, we will take a look and try to narrow down some areas that we together can address," said Jim Stone, the county's Public Health Director. This is the first time the three organizations have worked together on this type of effort.
"One of the things that always seems to come up is access to care," he said. "Sometimes it's transportation, sometimes it's awareness." He pointed out getting health care can be problematic for people who work odd hours or live in rural communities.
"By trying to get information on what types of barriers people are experiencing helps us to then evaluate our delivery system and see if it needs to be modified to make sure we are able to provide these services to everyone."
The schedule for the public forums includes:
Wednesday Oct. 1, Riverton Town Hall, 6-7:30 p.m.
Thursday Oct. 2, Union Baptist Church in Springfield 6-7:30 p.m.
Monday Oct. 6, Washington Park Botanical Garden 6-7:30 p.m.
Wednesday Oct. 8, Auburn Community Center, 6:30-8 p.m.
Thursday Oct. 9, Lanphier High School, 6-7:30 p.m.
