The Thomas Jefferson Health District (TJHD)—the state Department of Health’s umbrella for the five-county area and Charlottesville—is one of 12 local health departments to receive a $35,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The grant funds two of the three steps towards public accreditation for health districts: a community health assessment, and a community health improvement program. The accreditation process is designed to help health districts improve performance through analysis and accountability.
And, according to stats assembled by the TJHD, we can benefit from the grant. As of last year, the TJHD ranked sixth among the state’s 35 health districts for overweight of obese adults (57.2 percent), and then there’s the multi-faceted problem of infant mortality in the city.
Take a deep breath, then let out it, Charlottesville: How can our area best improve its health?
