Dear Community Member:

Change is constant in today's environment. Our community needs to be prepared for current and future changes affecting the health of our residents. Whether in the area of technology or lifestyle, these factors and many others have significant impact on the health of individuals and communities.

In order to be responsive to this constant change, health providers in the community came together to sponsor a comprehensive survey to identify the health needs of our community and to look at how we compare with other communities. The Community Health Assessment Survey, a survey co-sponsored and financially supported by members of the Community Health Assessment Task Force, was performed in 1999 to measure these health related topics in our county.

Formed in 1994, the Community Health Assessment Task Force was established to address the health needs of Santa Barbara County. This collaborative effort integrates local health care providers, agencies, and non-profit organizations in identifying, measuring, assessing, and facilitating steps to enhance the health of our communities. We invite you to join with us in celebrating the positive findings of the survey and we encourage you to join us in working on the identified areas for improvement in order to enhance the health of our community.

Sincerely,

Santa Barbara County Community Health Assessment Task Force

The Community Health Assessment Task Force (CHATF) is a collaborative of health organizations and volunteer and advocacy groups that address the health needs of the county. They accomplish this through assessment, planning, advocacy, awareness, education, outreach, and service coordination. Task force members include:

American Indian Health and Services

Saint Vincent's

Cottage Health Systems

Santa Barbara County Children & Families Commission

Environmental Defense Center

Santa Barbara City College Continuing Education

Junior League of Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Community Clinics Association

Marian Medical Center

Santa Barbara County Public Health Department

Pacific Pride Foundation

Santa Barbara School District Healthy Start Program

Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Regional Health Authority

Saint Francis Medical Center - CHW

The Community Health Assessment Survey was jointly planned and funded by the task force. The organizations that provided funding for the 1999 Community Health Assessment Survey were:

Cottage Health Systems

Santa Barbara Community Clinics Association

Environmental Defense Center

Santa Barbara County Alcohol, Drug, & Mental Health Dept.

Human Services Association

Santa Barbara County Public Health Department

Marian Medical Center

Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services

Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara Santa Barbara

Regional Health Authority

Saint Francis Medical Center - CHW