Healthy Harford spearheaded the Community Health Assessment Project (CHAP) in March 1996 in order to develop an effective strategy for achieving its vision of creating the healthiest community in Maryland. The mission of CHAP is twofold:

. Determine the overall health status of Harford County residents so the community can develop strategies to improve and sustain the well being of the population; and

. Align community stakeholders to the common purpose of improving health within the county.

The goals of CHAP are to:

. Prioritize the health needs in Harford County.

. Develop and implement health improvement strategies to improve the long-term health of our community; and

. Build partnerships that are key in implementing the identified strategies.

When CHAP was begun, a 36-member Community Committee representing all sectors of Harford County was created to oversee the process. Chaired by Mary Chance, Director of Community Services for Harford County Government, and Peggy Vaughan, M.D., MPH, Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs for Upper Chesapeake Health, the Committee oversaw data collection, data review and prioritization of health issues.

When CHAP was conducted in 1996, the primary source of data collection was a written survey that was sent to randomly selected households in Harford County. Other data that was collected included existing health-related data, a health care provider survey and focus groups. The top health priorities that were identified in 1996 included:

. Preventive health and wellness,

. Heart disease,

. Cancer,

. Substance abuse,

. Mental health,

. Access and isolated populations,

. Crime, violence and abuse, and

. Recreation.

In the fall of 2000, CHAP was conducted again in Harford County. The objectives were to monitor progress made toward our goals and gather additional information related to the overall health of our community. The profile of existing data was updated and a household survey was conducted. The seven page survey was sent to 2,450 random households selected based on Harford County's geographic population. The survey incorporated a core set of questions from the original 1996 survey and included some new questions as well. In the end, 1,143 individuals completed and returned the survey, yielding a 47% response rate.

Following the conclusion of CHAP 2000, the top three priorities that were identified in 1996 remained: Preventive Health and Wellness, Heart Disease and Cancer. To view the complete CHAP 2000 report including the Community Report Cards that were developed on the state of Harford County's Health and the 2005 and 2010 goals that were established, please click here.

A variety of strategies are now in place throughout Harford County to insure that we are making progress toward our goals. Community Action Teams, comprised of representatives from appropriate agencies, organizations and individuals in Harford County come together to work on specific health issues. Many preventive health and wellness screenings are offered along with specific programs to educate Harford County residents concerning topics such as recognizing the signs and symptoms of Heart Attack & Stroke, the Upper Chesapeake Health Women's Heart Program and the Harford County Health Department's Cancer Coalitions and emphasis on Tobacco Education. There are many other examples. The 2005 and subsequent CHAP surveys will help us to measure our progress and insure that we are working on the most important health issues in Harford County.