Though Centre County is a generally healthy community, ranking fourth among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties for health outcomes, issues of behavioral health, substance abuse and chronic disease are priorities to be addressed.
Those are the findings of the 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) conducted by Mount Nittany Health in cooperation with Centre Foundation, Centre County United Way and the Centre County Partnership for Community Health. The study is conducted once every three years and used to form an action plan and guide funding efforts.
“The overall health of our neighbors is a great indicator of the overall health of our community,” Centre County United Way Executive Director Tammy Gentzel said in a release. “The Community Health Needs Assessment is vital in helping us understand the health-related needs in Centre County so we can collaborate with the United Way network to address these needs, as well as other resulting issues affecting families in Centre County. By working with a network of agencies and providers, we can achieve our goals of improving lives.”
The local community meets 16 Healthy People 2020 goals. One that it does not is in the area of behavioral health. ‘During the most recent reporting cycle, 75 suicides and 33 drug-induced deaths occurred. The suicide rate now exceeds theHealthy People 2020 goal (10.2 per 100,000),’ according to the assessment.
Older adults in Centre County, meanwhile, are more likely to experience depression. The percentage of Centre CountyMedicare beneficiaries age 65 or older diagnosed with depression (14.9 percent) is higher than the Pennsylvania (13.4 percent) and national (12.7 percent) rates.
Emergency room, EMS and law enforcement data also indicate substance abuse concerns. Centre LifeLink EMS responded to 240 overdose related calls in 2014, and Bellefonte EMS and Penns Valley EMS responded to a combined 86 overdose related calls.
Drug and alcohol-related crime rates are higher in Centre County compared to surrounding counties, with focus group participants stating that the most commonly abused drugs are synthetic marijuana, prescription pills and heroin.
About 4 percent of Mount Nittany Medical Center emergency room visits in 2014 were a result of mental health issues or substance abuse. Seventy percent of alcohol abuse cases in the ER were among patients age 18-24. Patients 25 and older constituted 57 percent of drug abuse cases. The assessment also noted that while reported binge drinking among Penn State students was generally down, according to information from a campus-community partnership, blood alcohol content among students seen at Mount Nittany Medical Center has been increasing.
Community representatives identified a need for increased services for dealing with behavioral health issues, as well as cost detriments and the need to address the behavioral health stigma.
For chronic diseases, heart disease and diabetes were identified as two of the top health concerns in the county. The heart disease death rate has decreased significantly since 2003, but remains the leading cause of death in Centre County. The local death rate of 170.4 per 100,000 is close to the national rate (169.8 per 100,000).
Diabetes has been increasing among Centre County residents over the past decade, with a prevalence rate of 8.2 percent, up 1.5 percent since 2005. The diabetes death rate in the county (13.5 per 100,000) is lower than the state (22.6 per 100,000) and the nation (21.2 per 100,000).
Obesity rates among adults and children in Centre County are lower than the Pennsylvania rate and within the Healthy People 2020 goal.
The CHNA is compiled with input from community representatives and information from ‘public health and demographic data, analysis of hospital discharge data, key informant survey, three public focus groups, and a partner forum.’
An action plan based on the CHNA will be developed and adopted by the Mount Nittany Health Board of Trustees.The plan will be available to the public in September.
‘During this assessment process, the partners have been able to highlight all of the everyday solutions this community is a part of to provide and maintain good health for our residents,’ said Natalie Corman, human services administrator/deputy county administrator for Centre County. ‘As we see the issues we are facing, it is reassuring that Mount Nittany Health wants to partner with those in the community to be part of further solutions. Our hope is that the assessment is used far and wide by townships, boroughs, human service and health organizations, county government, and citizens to shape the future of our community.”
