Public meetings planned to begin later this month.
The Rappahannock Area Health District and Mary Washington Healthcare this week announced the launch of the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment for Fredericksburg City and the counties of Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and King George.
Nonprofit healthcare systems such as Mary Washington Healthcare are required by the IRS to conduct a community health needs assessment and adopt an implementation strategy to meet identified needs every three years in order to maintain tax exempt status.
The assessment intends to “explore a broad range of social drivers of health, including housing, income, employment, education, food insecurity, and access to care,” a press release about the launch states. “This collaborative effort will engage various organizations, groups, and residents to paint a detailed picture of health and health disparities in our community.”
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The last assessment was conducted in 2022 and engaged “more than 70 organizations,” the press release states, including nonprofits, faith-based groups, and government agencies.
“The CHA is about getting a clear picture of the urgent health needs in our community and aligning community resources to better address those needs,” said Dr. Olugbenga Obasanjo, Health Director for the area health district. “A key step is to hear directly from residents about the health needs in our community, and we encourage community members from all walks of life to get involved and provide feedback during this process.”
The assessment will “incorporate both quantitative data and qualitative feedback to identify key health priorities,” the press release states.
In order to hear from residents, the health district and MWHC will hold a series of kickoff meetings beginning later this month in all five local jurisdictions:
- Thursday, September 26, 1-2:30 p.m., Porter Library, 2001 Parkway Blvd., Stafford
- Friday, September 27, 12-1:30 p.m., Fick Center, 1301 Sam Perry Blvd., Fredericksburg
- Thursday, October 3, 1-2:30 p.m., Salem Church Library, 2607 Salem Church Road, Spotsylvania
- Tuesday, October 15, 12-1:30 p.m., Caroline Community Services Center, EOC Conference Room, 17202 Richmond Turnpike, Milford
- Thursday, October 17, 12-1:30 p.m., King George Citizens Center, 8076 Kings Highway, King George
- Wednesday, October 23, 7-8:30 p.m., online
View last health needs assessment for fiscal years 2023-2025 here.
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