Santa Cruz County releases its 2024 Community Health Assessment Plan
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Santa Cruz County released its 2024 Community Health Assessment (CHA) that will layout county goals over the next three years.
The county gathered four focus groups and ten key informant interviews for insights into these populations.
The county has prioritized four topics in addressing community health:
- General access to healthcare
- Children and adolescent health
- Housing security and current crisis
- Mental health and mental disorders
The top four health priorities will be addressed in the county's upcoming Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), and the public can sign up to receive CHIP updates by clicking here.
Some of the alarming findings, according to the county from data collected in 2022, include one in three Santa Cruz County children living at 200% below the federal poverty level.
The county also said that 22% of its residents reported having trouble accessing care because of language, transportation and other barriers.