PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Organizers with the Portsmouth Health Department are hoping residents will 'Answer the Knock' as they ask for their participation in the latest Community Health Survey.
These surveys are being conducted with the goal of prioritizing and improving the overall health of residents across Portsmouth. They will happen from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. each day starting Tuesday, Sept. 24 through Thursday, Sept. 26.
The surveys will be conducted in-person, right at residents' doors across 40 different neighborhoods. The surveys are confidential and will only last about 10 to 15 minutes.
Organizers said the teams conducting the surveys will be identifiable by their dark blue vests with 'Health Department' written on the back, and identification badges, so neighbors answering the door can recognize them.
ID badges will be from the following organizations: Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Portsmouth Health Department (PHD) or the Portsmouth Medical Reserve Corp (MRC).
"The Portsmouth Health District was one of the first with VDH to do the survey," said Avanti Allen-Benson, the Public Health Manager at Portsmouth Health Department. "So, for Portsmouth, because we're small, sometimes our data is not in with the larger surveys. This gives us an opportunity to get the information specifically in our community."
She said the goal of these surveys is to change the perception around health care and access.
“This gives us an opportunity to get the information, specifically in our community,” said Allen-Benson. “It also gives us an opportunity to go out and talk to our neighbors."
Allen-Benson said people will be asked several questions regarding household and individual health status, access to care, physical activity and nutrition; these answers will then be shared with an epidemiologist.
"The surveys give us the information, how many people smoke, how many people have a primary care physician, how many women have had a mammogram," she said.
The data gathered will help the Portsmouth Health District prioritize areas in need and launch new programs to provide support.
“For instance, with the mammograms, we've worked with a healthy Portsmouth coalition because you can't get a mammogram in Portsmouth," Allen-Benson said. "There's no imaging center. The Sentara MAM mobile comes to Portsmouth once a month.”
The 40 neighborhoods that will be surveyed were selected randomly using a standardized method that has been used for previous surveys. This is the fifth health survey conducted by Portsmouth's health department since 2017.