Cortland Counts 2007: An Assessment of Health and Well Being in Cortland County
Overview
The Seven Valleys Health Coalition (SVHC), Cortland County Health Department, Cortland Regional Medical Center, SUNY Cortland, and the United Way for Cortland County have been working together since 2001 to create Cortland Counts, an annual "Report Card" on the health and well-being of our community.
This seventh annual Report Card for Cortland County provides a brief update of data presented in Cortland Counts: An Assessment of Health and Well- Being in Cortland County, 2005 Edition. As in previous editions, the Report Card is organized into five categories: 1) Health and Safety; 2) Social Cohesion, Culture and Recreation; 3) Employment, Economy, and Welfare; 4) Housing and the Environment; and 5) Positive Development Through the Life Stages.
Format
Data from Cortland County are compared to upstate, state, and national data. Upstate NY consists of 57 of 62 counties (NY City counties excluded). Singleyear data are provided except for those indicators with very few cases; then the rate is given as the average of 3-5 years. This report also includes Healthy People 2010 goals established by the federal government that serve as a guide in establishing our local priorities.
An apple symbol is used to indicate a favorable status while a magnifying glass symbol indicates that the community should take a closer look at this indicator. The up and down arrows in the last column, “Cortland County Goal,” signal the desired direction of change.
Report Card Comparibility
The data from the first two Report Cards (2001, 2002) are comparable to each other, as both were based on post-census estimates from 1970-1990. Report Cards from 2003 forward use population projections based on the 2000 census, and some indicators are age adjusted (AA), unlike the first two Report Cards. All versions from 2003 until the next census will be comparable.
Community Participation
A broad-based Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) was created to assess the data provided from focus groups and citizen surveys orchestrated by the Community Assessment Team (CAT), as well as from other community research and feedback. Using this wealth of knowledge -- subjective and objective -- the BRC identified priority issues and in 2002 created a Strategic Plan with three tracks: economic development, youth, and health.
At the January 2006 BRC meeting, Housing was added as a fourth track in response to the growing need for better quality, affordable housing. There are now four broad community priorities established out of the Cortland Counts process. In each case, an organization (or a coalition of organizations) has emerged to focus on the needs in each of these priority areas:
- The Business Development Corporation is, of course, spearheading Economic Development.
- The improvement of conditions for Youth in our community is being organized under the auspices of the Cortland Area Community That Cares Coalition (CACTC), which has also taken the lead in
- Housing Confabs which are being convened to improve the Housing stock in Cortland.
- The Seven Valleys Health Coalition, in conjunction with the County Health Department, Cortland Regional Medical Center, Family Health Network, and others is directing special attention to Health issues.
The BRC continues to meet annually and invites the entire community to participate and help to refine priorities and update the strategic plans. The Cortland Counts reports form the basis of the county’s plan of action for many community agencies. Local government officials, organizations, and community grant-writers delight to find so much information about Cortland County in one place.
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