Full report available online
OCALA --Through collaboration among local officials and organizations, a county-wide assessment has produced the latest data needed to help direct health planning policy for the next several years.
Marion's assessment was based on the nationally recognized "Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships" process. Through this process, local health and community leaders completed three assessments to identify common themes to uncover key community needs. First, a facilitated discussion was used to identify events, trends and local factors that have the potential to impact health and quality of life. Second, focus groups and community surveys helped collect further information for analysis. Third, participants looked at secondary data highlights and trends for Marion County as compared to the state of Florida.
"We thank each of our partners for their contributions in completing this assessment. The end result will ultimately be more successful programs locally that will have a greater impact on our residents," said Florida Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander.
"It's vital that we had a wide-range of partners to collaborate on the assessment, so we understand the full scope of local challenges."
What issues stood out as priority items for the county to address? "Mental and behavioral health (including substance abuse), adult and child dental care, access to primary and preventative healthcare, and community infrastructure (specifically, safe and affordable housing and transportation)," Lander said.
"The report shows that our residents have a decreased life expectancy compared to other counties and that our population continues to skew older than the state overall. We've also seen an increase in mental health hospitalizations and opioid use."
Lander said that poverty continues to be a challenge in Marion County.
"Our rate is higher than the state's, and our children under age 18 living in poverty persists at a rate well above the state's. Related to this, our median household income is 8,000 below the state average. On the positive side, unemployment is down overall, which brings good momentum to other areas we would like to see change.
The department and community leaders worked with Well Florida Council to compile data and materials to complete the assessment. Now that the assessment is complete, local leaders are working on Marion's Community Health Improvement Plan, or CHIP.
Using the assessment when creating the CHIP allows for informed community decision making and prioritizing of health challenges to ensure health issues are addressed strategically.
"The data will be used to create a road map for initiatives and programs in the community to address areas of need. Through having this objective data readily at hand, community agencies will be better able to understand, assess and develop needed interventions. Importantly, this can also serve as a foundational document to help organizations when they are seeking funding for interventions meant to strengthen areas where our community is weak," said Lander.
The DOH-Marion County has published the 2019 Community Health Assessment. Interested individuals can review the document online by visiting:
Marion County organizations that contributed to the report
The Centers
Marion County Hospital District
FreeD.O.M. Clinic USA, Inc.
Marion County Children's Alliance
Suwanee River Area Health Education Center
Quit Doc Foundation
Ocala Police Department
CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion
Marion County Health Alliance
AdventHealth
Marion Senior Services
Alternative Courts
College of Central Florida
Marion County Community Services
Heart of Florida Health Center
Marion County Parks and Recreation
Healthy Start of North Central Florida
Marion County Public Schools
United Way of Marion County
UF Health
Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership
Marion County Board of County Commissioners
Kids Central, Inc.
Hospice of Marion County
Langley Health Services
Ocala Health
Cradling Hands
Ocala Housing Authority
Hands of Mercy Everywhere
