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Overview Problem Health Issues Frequently Asked Questions How to Get Involved 1996 Boone County Health Report Card

Bob Bailey, Chairperson Assistant Dean MU School of Law 216 Hulston Hall Columbia, MO 65211 882-6891 FAX 882-4984 bailey@law.missouri.edu

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March 18, 1998 TEAMS CONTINUE TO STRATEGIZE  AND MAKE PROGRESS TOWARD A HEALTHIER BOONE COUNTY       COLUMBIA, Mo. –The “grades” for the Boone County Health Report Card have been assigned, indicating the progress made over the last year in addressing issues critical to a healthy community.  Over 200 volunteers, on 15 different teams, have devoted time to assess needs and strategize for future progress to be made on 15 areas of concern.  While most grades remained unchanged, it is very evident, through each individual report that much has been accomplished over the last year and there are solid plans of future action.
 
    Two areas targeting issues critical to children and adolescents did show a change from last year’s report card.  The team working on Substance Abuse and Prevention assigned a grade of B-, in contrast to last year’s B+.  On the positive side, the Tobacco Use and Prevention team marked improvement from last year’s C- with a C+ for this year’s grade report.
 
    Heading up the Substance Abuse and Prevention team, John Warner, of the Columbia Police Department, notes the continued need for a comprehensive approach to this vital concern by advocating coordination among various groups interested in this issue.  The team for Tobacco Use and Prevention, addressing a facet of substance abuse, reports success in actively using youth in conducting “youth access” checks in an attempt to discover retailers who are selling cigarettes to minors.
 
    Another significant development since last year’s report is the creation of three separate teams to address issues formerly addressed by the team known as Family Nurturance.  This year’s report card contains reports by a Child Care team, a Domestic Violence team, and a Parent Education team.  Through this rearrangement, increased energies were directed toward issues related to the wellness of the family.
 
    Also included are two reports by committees who have been involved in the overall effort to examine the wellness of Boone County, but not in the capacity of formal grade assignment to their particular areas of focus.  One group, the Access to Health Care team, studied the feasibility of a local managed care program for the uninsured and underinsured.  The other team, Awareness and Integration of Persons with Disabilities, provides the report card with some baseline information about Boone County and persons with disabilities and identify strategies for this next year.
 
    Coordination is a common theme throughout several of the reports.  Various teams are recognizing that the potential for progress could be even greater by combining efforts in addressing cross issues such as substance abuse, high school dropout, and teen pregnancy.  Further, the plan to partner with various local and state agencies is also noted repeatedly.
 
    All indications are that Boone County has a wealth of strategies for continuing to address those areas that determine the overall health of a community.  The Boone County Health Report Card offers a vehicle for noting yearly progress in the addressing of these concerns.  While each particular team notes room for improvement on their specific issue, this voluntary effort, as a whole, deserves very high marks for continuing to keep the community focused on attaining a greater level of health.

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Overview Problem Issues FAQ How to Get Involved

Tanna Klein, tanna@oseda.missouri.edu   Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis   Last Modified: April 15, 1998

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