FO R C ES OF CH A N GE ASS E SS M E N T
2022 EscaRosa Community Health Needs Assessment 36
Forces of Change Assessment A Forces of Change (FOC) workshop held on July 21, 2021. Community partner organizations convened to discuss the results of the Community Resident Survey, health data outcomes, and threats and opportunities for action. The workshop also provided an opportunity for AHER members to identify the priority areas of focus that have the greatest impact on improving through our work together. 34 members of AHER participated in the FOC workshop, representing local organizations including CDAC Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., Baptist Health Care, Ascension Sacred Heart Healthcare, West Florida Health Care, Community Health Northwest Florida, Florida Department of Health in Escambia County, Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County, Gulf Coast Kid’s House, Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, Lakeview Center, Nemours, Gulf Coast Minority Chamber, United Way of West Florida, Simply Healthcare, and the University of West Florida. Through a facilitated consensus building methodology and using the priority areas identified in the 2019 CHNA report as a basis, the most compelling forces at work in our twocounty community were identified. Force 1 – Overweight/Obesity Force 2 – Substance Abuse Force 3 – Mental Health
Force 4 – Food Insecurity Force 5 – Child Abuse
Force 6 – Access to Healthcare
The goal of the FOC workshop was to create a comprehensive, prioritized list that identified key Opportunities for Action. To accomplish this goal, there were two questions posed: • What is occurring or might occur that affects the health within Escambia and Santa Rosa counties? • What specific threats or opportunities are generated by these occurrences? The objectives for the FOC workshop were: • Brainstorm external forces out of our control (positive or negative) that affect our community • Identify the associated threats and opportunities • Prioritize health issues • Finalize our key priority focus areas The types of Forces were discussed as broad allencompassing categories that may include: • Trends - patterns over time: unemployment, aging population, migration in/out of community, population growth, technological improvements • Factors - distinct features or elements: large military population or location on Gulf • Events - a one-time occurrence: hurricane, COVID, a new law Forces of Change could also be: • Local - impacts one county, town or neighborhood • Regional - impacts both counties or surrounding areas • Statewide - new legislation • National - federal policies
