NORFOLK, Va. — Attention Norfolk residents: The city’s health department wants people to take part in a community health assessment and the survey’s health questions may not be what you expect.
The Norfolk Health Department wants to know what people think are the biggest health factors in the city, and that can be anything from the high cost of living to ongoing gun violence.
Norfolk’s health director Dr. Susan Girois said this survey is about what makes a community healthy. That doesn’t mean just avoiding the flu, it could also mean addressing food insecurity or creating affordable housing.
“The social determinants of health is what we’re talking about here," Girois said. "It’s how housing, food security, livelihood, having a job, where you live and who you live with – how that actually affects your health.”
The first question on the assessment asks Norfolk residents to identify the five most important health issues in the community. The options are things like domestic violence, transportation, and social isolation.
The survey also asks things like: “Have you been impacted by violence?” And: “Did you have to choose between paying bills or purchasing medication?" Girois noted the latter is a concern for some families.
"Sometimes someone will need to make a decision about paying for food, paying to get transportation to a job, versus doing some preventive care or going to the dentist," she said.
Girois said she expects gun violence, the opioid epidemic, and affordable housing to be other top concerns for Norfolk residents.
“Affordable housing is going to be a big issue," she said. "Early data is showing that and we hear about it from our neighbors and our friends and people we are standing in line at the store with, every day.”
The survey is confidential, but the data will be made public. Girois said with this information, the Health Department can work with city leaders and community stakeholders to address the community’s needs.
“If we’re talking about violence, we need to first have people who have been impacted by violence, by gun violence, by gang violence, to be first at the table and say, ‘Here’s what it looks like.’ And here’s the best way for you all or the professional or everyone who wants to be part of the solution – how we should be able to do it best," she said.
The survey is open until the end of January. The health department is hoping to get at least 3,000 responses.
“It’s really important that people get their voices heard," Girois said.
Girois said it’s about identifying the overall health of communities and coming up with solutions to address the problems.