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Health assessment identifies issues facing Columbiana County residents

LISBON — The just released 2025-2028 Community Health Needs Assessment for Columbiana County identified behavioral health, obesity and chronic disease as the key health issues facing county residents.

The report is a collaboration of county health partners and speaking as a group in a press release issued Wednesday night, the health partners said, “This report aims to evaluate the community’s health status and needs, identify factors influencing population health, assess the availability of current resources that can be leveraged to enhance health outcomes, and support the creation of evidence-based, population-level interventions with measurable results.”

The Columbiana County Health District Board approved the health assessment Wednesday and immediately issued the joint press release, explaining how the county health partners “have been working diligently over the last year to complete this assessment which can be used by community groups, agencies, and organizations to develop programs and apply for funding opportunities that will enhance the health of our community.”

“Think of this as a status of the health of our community,” county Health Commissioner Dr. Wes Vins said.

He explained how the assessment includes community feedback, information from stakeholder interviews and a gathering of data to come up with the assessment. According to the press release, “a total of 31 stakeholder and focus group interviews were conducted, representing 106 participants; and 584 written surveys were completed by individuals from diverse groups within our county. Secondary public health data about Columbiana County was also collected for the report from many sources, including the Ohio Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Healthy People 2030, County Health Rankings, and a number of other reports and publications.”

The county health partners included both public and private agencies in the public health system, including the county health district, the Salem and East Liverpool city health districts, East Liverpool City Hospital, Salem Regional Medical Center, Akron Children’s Hospital, the Community Action Agency of Columbiana County, the county Educational Service Center, county Department of Job and Family Services, county Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, Coordinated Action for School Health, Family and Children First Council, Family Recovery Center and The Ohio State University Extension.

Vins said the three-year assessment is needed by the hospitals for their non-profit status and by the health districts for accreditation.

“I am urging residents to look it up online,” Vins said, inviting them to read the information to learn more about the county’s health.

According to the press release, the next step will be for the health partners to “use the key findings identified from this assessment to prioritize health needs and create a Community Health Improvement Plan.”

The issue of behavioral health included mental health, substance use, depression and suicide. Obesity included nutrition and physical activity, with the chronic disease issue including cancer, cardiac disease and diabetes.

“We thank the community for their participation; who committed to honestly responding to surveys and engaging with focus groups. We encourage everyone to read and share this assessment, and talk about the findings with your friends and colleagues. Together, we can make a difference and achieve a healthier Columbiana County,” the press release said.

The full report can be found posted on the county health district website at www.columbiana-health.org and on many of the health partner websites.

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